STAND. COM. REP. NO. 131

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 864

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 864 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow newly graduated former students to be eligible for the State's workers' compensation coverage during the summer following their high school graduation while participating in work-based learning programs sponsored by the Department of Education.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education and Maui Chamber of Commerce.

Your Committee finds that a recent high school graduate is no longer considered a student for purposes of workers' compensation coverage while participating in a Department of Education-sponsored work-based learning opportunity during the summer following graduation. Your Committee further finds that employers and organizations of these department-sponsored programs incur the additional cost to cover these individuals under their workers' compensation liability and therefore, may be hesitant in hiring these recent graduates. Your Committee believes this measure supports the participation of newly graduated high school students in Department of Education-sponsored work-based learning programs by including these individuals in the State's workers' compensation coverage during the summer following their high school graduation.

Your Committee amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 864, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 864, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Education.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor,

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JACKSON D. SAYAMA, Chair