STAND. COM. REP. NO. 871

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1578

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1578 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow unemployment insurance claimants to receive their full unemployment insurance weekly benefits without any deduction for earnings received from employment.

Presently, when the total weekly wages earned by an unemployment insurance claimant is less than the claimant's weekly benefits, earnings in excess of the first $50 for that week are deducted from the claimant's benefits on a dollar-for-dollar basis. Your Committee finds that this law serves as a disincentive to unemployment insurance claimants to find work and is counterproductive to the underlying public policy of achieving full employment in the State.

This bill will allow unemployment insurance claimants to maximize their weekly benefits to not only support their families, but to also support their efforts to find adequate employment.

Your Committee has amended the bill by changing the effective date to January 1, 2006, for the purposes of administrative efficiency and ease, and by making other nonsubstantive technical amendments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1578, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1578, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair