STAND. COM. REP. NO. 646-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2325

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. 2325, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CIVIL SERVICE EXEMPT POSITIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to exempt specified professional and technical positions within the State Historic Preservation Division and the Commission on Water Resource Management of the Department of Land and Natural Resources from the State civil service law.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; and Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO.

Your Committee finds that the State Historic Preservation Division and the Commission on Water Resource Management are responsible for carrying out complex duties involving archaeological resource protection, cultural site preservation, hydrologic research, water resource planning, and regulatory obligations that require specialized technical expertise. Your Committee further finds that the civil service hiring process has limited these agencies' ability to recruit and retain qualified professionals whose skills are essential to fulfilling statutory mandates. Your Committee believes that exempting these critical positions from civil service requirements will allow the Department of Land and Natural Resources to competitively hire necessary experts, thereby strengthening the State's capacity to safeguard historic and cultural assets and manage water resources effectively.

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. 2325, 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