STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1000

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 696

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 Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 696, S.D. 1, 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 clarify the computation of wages of certain employees for the purpose of determining workers' compensation benefits.

More specifically, this measure:

(1) Permits, rather than prohibits, the consideration of wages of other employees in comparable employment in computing the average weekly wages of an injured public board member, reserve police officer, police chaplain, sheriffs' chaplain, volunteer firefighter, volunteer boating enforcement officer, or volunteer conservation and resources enforcement officer; and

(2) Clarifies the computation of an injured volunteer firefighter's average weekly wages for purposes of determining workers' compensation benefits.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Your Committee finds that it is appropriate for injured public board members, reserve police officers, police chaplains, sheriffs' chaplains, volunteer firefighters, volunteer boating enforcement officers, or volunteer conservation and resources enforcement officers to be afforded equitable workers' compensation benefits.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 696, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair