STAND. COM. REP. NO.1037

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: H.B. No. 1586

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 1586, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to extend unemployment insurance benefits for the displaced employees of Amfac Sugar Kauai for an additional twelve months.

Testimony in support of the measure was received from the ILWU Local 142. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations submitted testimony in opposition to the measure.

Your Committee finds that last year, Amfac Sugar Kauai closed down operations and many of the former employees of Amfac Sugar Kauai who were laid off still have not found employment elsewhere. Unfortunately, little opportunity exists for many former Amfac Sugar Kauai employees due to the lack of training in professions outside of sugar-related vocations. Although able to collect unemployment benefits for six months after being laid off, many of these dislocated workers need more time to be retrained so that they may re-enter the workforce in other fields.

Your Committee has amended the measure by:

(1) Reducing the extension of unemployment insurance benefits from one year to six months;

(2) Requiring that dislocated Amfac Sugar Kauai employees be either enrolled in or actively seeking vocational training or education in order to qualify for the extended unemployment insurance benefits;

(3) Changing the effective date from July 1, 2010, to upon approval; and

(4) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and style.

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. 1586, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1586, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

BOB NAKATA, Chair