STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3944

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: GOV. MSG. NO. 727

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor and Technology, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 727, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of:

Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board

G.M. No. 727

HARRY YEE, for a term to expire 06-30-2028,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by Harry Yee for service on the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nomination for the appointment of Harry Yee from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; International Union of Elevator Constructors, Local 126; Leong, Kunihiro, Brooke & Kim, Attorneys at Law, A Law Corporation; United Public Workers, AFSCME Local 646, AFL-CIO; Weber, Van Dyke & Fujimoto, LLLP, A Limited Liability Law Limited Partnership; Hawaii Government Employee Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; Hawaii State AFL-CIO; Timothy P. McNulty, A Law Corporation; and nine individuals.

Upon review of the testimony, your Committee finds that Mr. Yee's experience, background, and commitment to public service qualify him for appointment to the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board. Mr. Yee earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Suffolk University School of Law in 1981 and began his legal career in Boston Massachusetts, including serving as an Assistant Attorney General at the Civil Rights Division and Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Department of the Attorney General for the State of Massachusetts. He relocated to Hawaii in 1989 and founded his own law firm, where he regularly represented injured workers as a claimant's counsel before the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Disability Compensation Division and the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board for fourteen years. Thereafter, Mr. Yee became an Assistant United States Attorney at the United States Attorney's Office in the District of Hawaii, where he represented federal agencies and the United States Armed Forces in a wide variety of civil matters including medical malpractice, complex tort, environmental, tax, and immigration cases from 2003 to 2023. Your Committee acknowledges testimony attesting to Mr. Yee's ability to evaluate the multi-faceted legal issues presented by workers' compensation claims, thorough knowledge of relevant laws and rules pertaining to workers' compensation, as well as his intellect, experience, and temperament necessary to serve on the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board. Your Committee finds that Mr. Yee's knowledge and extensive experience as a litigator and counsel representing clients in workers' compensation cases will enhance the effectiveness of the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board. Your Committee further finds that Mr. Yee has shown himself to be an intelligent, proficient, and creative practitioner of Labor and Workers’ Compensation Law and would be a valuable asset to the Board. Your Committee therefore recommends that Harry Yee be appointed to the Labor and Industrial Relations Appeals Board based on his experience, knowledge, and commitment to public service.

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, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nomination.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor and Technology,

____________________________

HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair