STAND. COM. REP. NO. 424

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1569

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 1569 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TELEWORK,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a temporary Telework Working Group;

(2) Require interim and final reports to the Legislature; and

(3) Make an appropriation.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Resources Development; Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; and Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME, Local 152, AFL-CIO. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that telework is an innovative solution that ensures workplace flexibility and holds many benefits for employees, employers, and the public, including a better work-life balance, increased productivity, and possible cost-savings from

reduced energy and office space use. Your Committee further finds that modernizing the State's telework policies will help to improve human services delivery, support employees, and attract more residents to the State's workforce. This measure will establish a temporary working group to evaluate and address workplace issues in relation to telework, help assess the effectiveness of the telework program guidelines, and identify where improvements are needed so that telework can continue to be used effectively in the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Adding to the task force, the Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and an exclusive representative of state employees participating in the State's telework program; 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. 1569, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1569, 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,

________________________________

SHARON MORIWAKI, Chair