STAND. COM. REP. NO. 337

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1141

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. 1141 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to transfer workers' compensation for the Hawaii State Public Library System (State Public Library) and its employees from the Department of Education to the Department of Human Resources Development.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Public Library System. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Resources Development.

Your Committee finds that Act 61, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, clarified that when the Legislature enacted Act 51, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004, which, in part, transferred certain functions of executive branch agencies that pertained to education personnel to the Department of Education, the Legislature had not intended to include the personnel of the State Public Library. According to testimony received by your Committee, although Department of Human Resources Development has been managing and administering the workers' compensation claims of the State Public Library employees since 2012 through memoranda of agreement, the Department of Human Resources Development has not received any additional staff or funding from Department of Education to address its increased responsibilities to the State Public Library and its employees.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting appropriations of unspecified amounts for the:

(A) Establishment of one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) position within the Department of Human Resources Development for the State Public Library and its employees; and

(B) Workers' compensation costs of the State Public Library and its employees;

(2) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

(3) Inserting an effective date of January 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. 1141, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1141, 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