STAND. COM. REP. NO. 627-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2263

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 2263, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MILITARY FAMILIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize eligible employees to take family leave for a qualifying military exigency.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the United States Department of Defense; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Hawaiʻi National Guard; and Military and Community Relations Office of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Your Committee finds that military families often face unpredictable and urgent demands resulting from deployments, relocations, mandatory briefings, and other service-related obligations that require immediate time away from work. These responsibilities create logistical and emotional strain on households, especially when state law does not expressly recognize such circumstances as qualifying reasons for family leave, leaving families and employers without clear or consistent processes. Your Committee believes that expanding family leave eligibility to include qualifying military exigencies will provide needed stability for families, support workforce continuity, and strengthen overall readiness by ensuring that those supporting service members have time to manage essential responsibilities.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2263, H.D. 1, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

JACKSON D. SAYAMA, Chair