HR146

WHEREAS, Hawaii's state executive agencies currently have over three thousand vacancies; and

WHEREAS, this degradation of the public sector workforce leaves important government functions at risk and deeply affects the efficacy of public services and public infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii's high cost of living makes surviving off public sector wages unsustainable for many residents; and

WHEREAS, this situation is aggravated by growing pay disparities between the public and private sectors; and

WHEREAS, many public sector jobs pay significantly less than their private sector counterparts while demanding equivalent levels of education, experience, and qualifications; and

WHEREAS, public sector workers often pay higher health insurance premiums than their private sector counterparts; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Human Resources Development, which is responsible for recruiting and retention efforts for state employment, is currently understaffed, leading to situations in which applicants for state positions wait months to hear back from the hiring agency after submitting an application; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, that the Department of Human Resources Development is urged to establish a working group within the Department of Human Resources Development to examine issues and opportunities for improvement in recruitment and retention of public employees; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to consist of the following members:

(1) The Director of Human Resources Development or the Director's designee, who is requested to serve as chairperson of the working group;

(2) The Administrator of the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund or the Administrator's designee;

(3) The Executive Director of the Employees' Retirement System of the State of Hawaii or the Executive Director's designee;

(4) One member of the public with extensive professional experience in human resources in the public sector, to be selected by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(5) One member of the public with extensive professional experience in human resources in the private sector, to be selected by the President of the Senate;

(6) One member from each of the exclusive representatives of the state public sector employee collective bargaining units; and

(7) One or more representatives of any other agency or designee deemed appropriate by the chairperson of the working group; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to serve until it has accomplished the objectives of this resolution or twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2024, whichever occurs first; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to examine:

(1) Ways to improve the applicant experience and shorten the response time from the time of application to an interview;

(2) Existing position descriptions of state public workers in all state departments and agencies and determine if redescription is necessary because the educational or training qualifications are obsolete, or the work descriptions are outdated or inaccurate;

(3) The impact of the pay disparities between public and private sector workers and make recommendations to address such disparities;

(4) The impact of the disparities between the health insurance premiums paid by public and private sector workers and make recommendations to address such disparities;

(5) The impact of mandatory public employee participation in the Employees' Retirement System; and

(6) Potential avenues for incentivizing public sector work through flex-time and four-day work week options; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the chairperson of the working group, in consultation with the working group, is requested to submit a report to the Legislature, including findings, recommendations, and any draft legislation, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2024; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Human Resources Development, Administrator of the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund, Executive Director of the Employees' Retirement System, and the exclusive representative of each state public sector collective bargaining unit.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

DHRD; Public Employment; Working Group; ERS; EUTF

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	146
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII