STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1049-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: S.B. No. 2171
                                     S.D. 1
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor and Public Employment, to which was
referred S.B. No. 2171, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISASTER RELIEF,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to authorize up to thirty days
paid leave of absence for state and county employees, who are
certified Red Cross disaster volunteers, who respond to out of
state disasters.

     The Hawaii State Chapter of the American Red Cross, Hawaii
Government Employees Association, and the Hawaii Nurses'
Association testified in support of this legislation.  The State
of Hawaii Department of Defense supported the intent of this
bill.

     Your Committee finds that Red Cross disaster volunteers
provide an invaluable service to the community in times of
disasters and other catastrophic events.  Currently, state
workers, who are certified by the Red Cross, are compensated at
their normal rate when doing disaster work within the state but
are not compensated for any disaster work done outside the State.

     Your Committee also finds that disasters often create
demands for experienced relief personnel that cannot be met
locally and therefore the State must rely on volunteers from
other states.  Hawaii has recently benefitted from out-of-state

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1049-00
                                 Page 2

 
volunteers who assisted in disasters here.  Furthermore, it is to
the benefit of society in general that the State show its
commitment to helping those in need during periods of disaster by
allowing state workers who are certified Red Cross disaster
volunteers to be paid at their regular rate for time spent doing
relief work.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Including a reference to the Red Cross as a federally
          chartered nongovernment disaster relief organization;
          and

     (2)  Correcting a citation to a section of the Hawaii
          Revised Statutes.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Labor and Public Employment that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 2171, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No.
2171, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on
Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Labor and Public
                                   Employment,



                                   ______________________________
                                   TERRY NUI YOSHINAGA, Chair