STAND. COM. REP. NO.  437-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 2218

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 2218 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to further the State's interest in conducting its employment practices based on merit principles through use of the civil service system by converting specified exempt positions to civil service status and limiting newly created exemptions to three years' duration unless extended by the Legislature.

The Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO provided testimony in support of this measure.  The Department of Public Safety, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Office of Community Services, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Human Resources Development, and an individual provided testimony in opposition to this measure.  The University of Hawaii provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the conversion to civil service status of:

          (A)  Personnel hired by the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs for compliance resolution;

          (B)  Personnel hired by the Attorney General for criminal and juvenile justice coordination;

          (C)  Personnel hired by the Attorney General for crime research, prevention, and education;

          (D)  Personnel hired by the Commission on Water Resource management;

          (E)  Personnel hired by the Workforce Development Council;

          (F)  The Recycling Coordinator;

          (G)  Personnel hired by the Executive Director of the Office of Community Services;

          (H)  Personnel hired by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations for the Hawaii Career Information Delivery System; and

          (I)  Financial institution examiners appointed by the Insurance Commissioner;

     (2)  Specifying that newly created exemptions from civil service shall expire five years after their enactment and shall include a current and accurate position description;

     (3)  Requiring any department, agency, office, or program affected by this Act to review and revise position descriptions for each position to be converted to a civil service position by July 1, 2015;

     (4)  Delaying the conversion of specified positions until July 1, 2016;

     (5)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2300, for the purpose of facilitating further discussion; and

     (6)  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 Labor & Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2218, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2218, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair