STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1431-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: S.B. No. 3129

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred S.B. No. 3129, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION TRUST FUND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund as a cash infusion for the fund.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, and Hawaii Food Industry Association. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and Parents And Children Together.

Your Committee finds that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created an unprecedented period of unemployment in Hawaii and rapid depletion of Unemployment Compensation Trust. An infusion of funds into the Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund is therefore needed to provide some relief to employers still recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Your Committee has amended this measure changing the effective date to January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3129, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3129, S.D. 1, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair