STAND. COM. REP. NO. 374

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 342

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 Labor and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 342 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PAID FAMILY LEAVE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require five days of paid family leave annually for state and county employees; and

(2) Ensure the protection of wage, seniority, and other employment benefits of employees who take paid family leave.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO; University of Hawaii Professional Assembly; Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; Hawaii State AFL-CIO; Pride at Work‑Hawaiʻi; Young Democrats of Hawaiʻi; IATSE Local 665; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; and three individuals.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Department of Budget and Finance, and one individual.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Resources Development; Department of the Attorney General; Hawaiʻi Children's Action Network Speaks!; Hawaiʻi Public Health Institute; Imua Alliance; Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi Education Caucus; and ACLU of Hawaiʻi.

Your Committee finds that public employers face a recruitment and retention crisis as private sector benefits become increasingly competitive. Some public employers suffer from vacancy rates of over twenty per cent. Offering paid family leave is an attractive benefit for many potential employees. By requiring five days of paid family leave annually for state and county employees, this measure will not only allow the State to fill civil service vacancies but also fulfill its role as a model employer.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language clarifying that for employees included in bargaining units pursuant to section 89‑6, Hawaii Revised Statutes, this measure is applicable only if negotiated into a collective bargaining agreement; and

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor and Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 342, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 342, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

________________________________

HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair