STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3437

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 139

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.C.R. No. 139 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL TO RECOMMEND TO THE GOVERNOR, FOR INCLUSION IN THE STATE UNIFIED PLAN, A COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE WORKFORCE STRATEGY TO ENSURE THAT ALL PEOPLE OF THE STATE HAVE A PATHWAY TO A CAREER THAT ENABLES THEM TO LEARN, WORK, AND THRIVE IN THE STATE AND CONTRIBUTE TO A VIBRANT LOCAL ECONOMY GROUNDED IN COMMUNITY VALUES BY 2045,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Workforce Development Council to recommend to the Governor, for inclusion in the State Unified Plan, a comprehensive statewide workforce strategy to ensure that all people of the State have a pathway to a career that enables them to learn, work, and thrive in the State and contribute to a vibrant local economy grounded in community values by 2045.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; University of Hawaiʻi System; Workforce Development Council; Hawaiʻi Workforce Funders Collaborative; Holomua Collaborative; Mana Up; Hawaiʻi Gas; HPM Building Supply; Title Guaranty of Hawaii; Aio; HawaiiKidsCAN; Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; Chamber of Commerce Hawaii; and Aloha United Way.

Your Committee finds that the State's workforce is facing devastating high costs of living, limited employment opportunities, outmigration pressures, and the need to build stronger local talent pipelines. Your Committee believes that it is necessary to develop a statewide unified workforce development goal, strategic plan, and metrics for tackling the impact and success of various initiatives over time, as well as call on the State to invest in quality career coaching and a robust expansion of the work-based learning ecosystem. This resolution will create conditions for aligned public and private investment to accumulate over time by establishing shared direction, clarified roles, and durable accountability.

Your Committee notes the concerns expressed by the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women that workforce development policies shape access to factors that are critical to achieving gender equity and eliminating barriers faced by women in the workforce and ensuring that the perspectives and needs of women and girls are integrated into workforce planning will help create pathways for economic advancement and support the broader goals of equity and inclusion. Accordingly, your Committee respectfully requests that subsequent Committees to which this measure is referred consider this issue.

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 concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 139 and recommends its adoption.

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

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BRANDON J.C. ELEFANTE, Chair