STAND. COM. REP. NO. 617-20

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2020

RE: H.B. No. 2123

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2123 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SEXUAL HARASSMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require:

(1) Employers with fifty or more employees to submit regular reports to the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission; and

(2) The Hawaii Civil Rights Commission to publish annual reports about legal settlements resulting from these reports and make the annual reports accessible to the public.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission (Commission).

Your Committee finds that employment-related sexual harassment claims made by certain employees should be disclosed for the purposes of providing transparency and prohibiting certain employers from taking adverse action against those employees.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing the requirement that reports be electronically filed;

(2) Requiring the Commission to publish the reports containing information on employers' legal settlements in an annual report rather than on the Commission's website; and

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

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 H.B. No. 2123, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2123, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair