STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2321

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2968

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 2968 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require hotelkeepers to supply and provide annual training on the proper use and limitations of a panic button to certain workers.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and Kohala Coast Resort Association.

Your Committee finds that hospitality workers often work alone and may face heightened risks of harassment or assault; furthermore many hospitality workers are women and panic buttons may serve as an important tool to prevent and respond to workplace violence. Your Committee further finds that similar protections to those proposed in this measure have been adopted in other jurisdictions.

Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of January 1, 2077, to encourage further discussion.

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. 2968, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2968, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

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

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BRANDON J.C. ELEFANTE, Chair