STAND. COM. REP. NO. 485

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1270

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Labor, Culture and the Arts and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1270 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to replace the Director of Human Services with the Administrator of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of Human Services, as an ex officio voting member of the Workforce Development Council, Department of Human Services.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Workforce Development Council, Department of Human Services, and State Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Your Committees find that federal regulations that implement the Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act (WIOA) of 2014, specifically, title 34 Code of Federal Regulations section 361.13(c), provide participation in the state's workforce development system as a non-delegable responsibility of a state's vocational rehabilitation agency. Furthermore, under title 20 Code of Federal Regulations sections 679.110(b)(3)(iii)(A)(1)(iii) and 679.120(a), a representative of the state's vocational rehabilitation agency with optimum policy-making authority is required to serve on the State Workforce Development Board. Failure to comply with these regulations will subject the Hawaii WIOA Unified State Plan to loss of its federal approval, resulting in possible penalties. Your Committees find that the Administrator of the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of Human Services, is best qualified for this position and that this measure is necessary to comply with federal regulations.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor, Culture and the Arts and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1270 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Labor, Culture and the Arts and Human Services,

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair

________________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair