STAND. COM. REP. NO. 421

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 722

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. 722 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the Occupational Safety and Health Special Fund (Special Fund); and

(2) Direct certain fees to be deposited into the Special Fund.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance and one individual.

Your Committee finds that investing in the staff development and training of Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division (HIOSH) employees is necessary to recruit, retain, and train employees to provide consultation and enforcement for workplace safety. According to testimony received by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the penalties that HIOSH collects for health and safety violations range from $1,400,000 to $2,500,000 per year.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Adopting the Department of Labor and Industrial Relation's suggestion to deposit the civil penalties that HIOSH collects for safety and health violations into the Special Fund, instead of the Labor Law Enforcement Fund;

(2) Inserting an effective date of January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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. 722, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 722, 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,

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SHARON MORIWAKI, Chair