STAND. COM. REP. NO. 976

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1660

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 1660, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require employers in the hospitality industry to implement anti-harassment measures, provide training, and equip certain workers with panic buttons;

(2) Prohibit retaliation against a hospitality worker who files a complaint, uses the provided panic button, or participates in an investigation or proceeding related to a harassment complaint;

(3) Require the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to adopt rules, including rules determining penalties and establishing procedures for handling complaints; and

(4) Require all hospitality employers to comply no later than January 1, 2026.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women and one individual.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission.

Your Committee finds that harassment is a significant issue in the hospitality industry, which is critical to the State's economy. Workers in hospitality and food services account for fourteen percent of all harassment charges, a significantly higher portion than the sector's share of total employment. This measure will protect hospitality workers and aid the industry's long-term employment outcomes by requiring employers to establish certain anti-harassment procedures and safeguards.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1660, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair