STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1323-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: S.B. No. 2351

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2351, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Rename the "Hawaii Workforce Development Council" as the "Hawaii Workforce Development Board" to be administratively attached to the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism;

(2) Require the Hawaii Workforce Development Board and local workforce development boards to develop written conflict of interest policies;

(3) Amend provisions related to the selection of the Chairperson, duties, and powers of the Hawaii Workforce Development Board; and

(4) Repeal the requirement for the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to submit an annual report to the Legislature on the activities of the K-12 Agriculture Workforce Development Pipeline Initiative.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from IATSE Local 665 and six individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General and Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Your Committee finds that while the Legislature conformed the composition and duties of the Workforce Development Council with the new governance structure established by the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014 through Act 57, Session Laws of Hawaii 2016, the conflict of interest provisions in the federal law for state and local workforce development boards were not incorporated into state law. This measure will codify in state law the federal provisions governing conflicts of interest for members of state and local workforce development boards and the renaming of the Council.

Your Committee finds that the companion to this measure, H.B. No. 2199, H.D. 2 (Regular Session of 2024), a substantially similar measure, was previously passed by your Committee. Your Committee further finds that H.B. No. 2199, H.D. 2, is preferable as in that measure, the Hawaii Workforce Development Board maintains its administrative attachment to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and therefore does not require an appropriation for full-time equivalent positions.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting its contents and inserting the contents of H.B. 2199, H.D. 2; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2351, S.D. 2, H.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. 2351, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair