HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1978

TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to public employment.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  Act 253, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, and Act 300, Session Laws of Hawaii 2006, sought to reduce the number of civil service exempt employees in public service within the State.  The legislature finds that despite the enactment of these Acts, there have been few conversions of civil service exempt positions to civil service positions and that conversions are overdue.

     The purpose of this Act is to amend sections of the Hawaii Revised Statutes to conform with Act 253, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, which placed restrictions on the creation of civil service exempt positions and required the annual review of exempt positions to determine whether exempt positions should remain exempt or be converted to civil service positions.

     SECTION 2.  Section 26-9, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (o) to read as follows:

     "(o)  Every person licensed under any chapter within the jurisdiction of the department of commerce and consumer affairs and every person licensed subject to chapter 485A or registered under chapter 467B shall pay upon issuance of a license, permit, certificate, or registration a fee and a subsequent annual fee to be determined by the director and adjusted from time to time to ensure that the proceeds, together with all other fines, income, and penalties collected under this section, do not surpass the annual operating costs of conducting compliance resolution activities required under this section.  The fees may be collected biennially or pursuant to rules adopted under chapter 91, and shall be deposited into the special fund established under this subsection.  Every filing pursuant to chapter 514E or section 485A-202(a)(26) shall be assessed, upon initial filing and at each renewal period in which a renewal is required, a fee that shall be prescribed by rules adopted under chapter 91, and that shall be deposited into the special fund established under this subsection.  Any unpaid fee shall be paid by the licensed person, upon application for renewal, restoration, reactivation, or reinstatement of a license, and by the person responsible for the renewal, restoration, reactivation, or reinstatement of a license, upon the application for renewal, restoration, reactivation, or reinstatement of the license.  If the fees are not paid, the director may deny renewal, restoration, reactivation, or reinstatement of the license.  The director may establish, increase, decrease, or repeal the fees when necessary pursuant to rules adopted under chapter 91.  The director may also increase or decrease the fees pursuant to section 92-28.

     There is created in the state treasury a special fund to be known as the compliance resolution fund to be expended by the director's designated representatives as provided by this subsection.  Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, all revenues, fees, and fines collected by the department shall be deposited into the compliance resolution fund.  Unencumbered balances existing on June 30, 1999, in the cable television fund under chapter 440G, the division of consumer advocacy fund under chapter 269, the financial institution examiners' revolving fund, section 412:2-109, the special handling fund, section 414‑13, and unencumbered balances existing on June 30, 2002, in the insurance regulation fund, section 431:2-215, shall be deposited into the compliance resolution fund.  This provision shall not apply to the drivers education fund underwriters fee, sections 431:10C-115 and 431:10G-107, insurance premium taxes and revenues, revenues of the workers' compensation special compensation fund, section 386-151, the captive insurance administrative fund, section 431:19-101.8, the insurance commissioner's education and training fund, section 431:2-214, the medical malpractice patients' compensation fund as administered under section 5 of Act 232, Session Laws of Hawaii 1984, and fees collected for deposit in the office of consumer protection restitution fund, section 487-14, the real estate appraisers fund, section 466K-1, the real estate recovery fund, section 467-16, the real estate education fund, section 467-19, the contractors recovery fund, section 444-26, the contractors education fund, section 444-29, the condominium education trust fund, section 514B-71, and the mortgage foreclosure dispute resolution special fund, section 667-86.  Any law to the contrary notwithstanding, the director may use the moneys in the fund to employ, without regard to chapter 76, hearings officers and attorneys.  All other employees [may] shall be employed in accordance with chapter 76.  Any law to the contrary notwithstanding, the moneys in the fund shall be used to fund the operations of the department.  The moneys in the fund may be used to train personnel as the director deems necessary and for any other activity related to compliance resolution.

     A separate special subaccount of the compliance resolution fund, to be known as the post-secondary education authorization special subaccount, shall be established for fees collected by the department of commerce and consumer affairs pursuant to chapter 305J.  The special subaccount shall be governed by section 305J-19.

     As used in this subsection, unless otherwise required by the context, "compliance resolution" means a determination of whether:

     (1)  Any licensee or applicant under any chapter subject to the jurisdiction of the department of commerce and consumer affairs has complied with that chapter;

     (2)  Any person subject to chapter 485A has complied with that chapter;

     (3)  Any person submitting any filing required by chapter 514E or section 485A-202(a)(26) has complied with chapter 514E or section 485A-202(a)(26);

     (4)  Any person has complied with the prohibitions against unfair and deceptive acts or practices in trade or commerce; or

     (5)  Any person subject to chapter 467B has complied with that chapter;

and includes work involved in or supporting the above functions, licensing, or registration of individuals or companies regulated
by the department, consumer protection, and other activities of the department.

     The director shall prepare and submit an annual report to the governor and the legislature on the use of the compliance resolution fund.  The report shall describe expenditures made from the fund including non-payroll operating expenses."

     SECTION 3.  Section 76-16, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

     "(b)  The civil service to which this chapter applies shall comprise all positions in the State now existing or hereafter established and embrace all personal services performed for the State, except the following:

     (1)  Commissioned and enlisted personnel of the Hawaii National Guard as such, and positions in the Hawaii National Guard that are required by state or federal laws or regulations or orders of the National Guard to be filled from those commissioned or enlisted personnel;

     (2)  Positions filled by persons employed by contract where the director of human resources development has certified that the service is special or unique or is essential to the public interest and that, because of circumstances surrounding its fulfillment, personnel to perform the service cannot be obtained through normal civil service recruitment procedures.  Any such contract may be for any period not exceeding one year;

     (3)  Positions that must be filled without delay to comply with a court order or decree if the director determines that recruitment through normal recruitment civil service procedures would result in delay or noncompliance, such as the Felix-Cayetano consent decree;

     (4)  Positions filled by the legislature or by either house or any committee thereof;

     (5)  Employees in the office of the governor and office of the lieutenant governor, and household employees at Washington Place;

     (6)  Positions filled by popular vote;

     (7)  Department heads, officers, and members of any board, commission, or other state agency whose appointments are made by the governor or are required by law to be confirmed by the senate;

     (8)  Judges, referees, receivers, masters, jurors, notaries public, land court examiners, court commissioners, and attorneys appointed by a state court for a special temporary service;

     (9)  One bailiff for the chief justice of the supreme court who shall have the powers and duties of a court officer and bailiff under section 606-14; one secretary or clerk for each justice of the supreme court, each judge of the intermediate appellate court, and each judge of the circuit court; one secretary for the judicial council; one deputy administrative director of the courts; three law clerks for the chief justice of the supreme court, two law clerks for each associate justice of the supreme court and each judge of the intermediate appellate court, one law clerk for each judge of the circuit court, two additional law clerks for the civil administrative judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, two additional law clerks for the criminal administrative judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, one additional law clerk for the senior judge of the family court of the first circuit, two additional law clerks for the civil motions judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, two additional law clerks for the criminal motions judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, and two law clerks for the administrative judge of the district court of the first circuit; and one private secretary for the administrative director of the courts, the deputy administrative director of the courts, each department head, each deputy or first assistant, and each additional deputy, or assistant deputy, or assistant defined in paragraph (16);

    (10)  First deputy and deputy attorneys general, the administrative services manager of the department of the attorney general, one secretary for the administrative services manager, an administrator and any support staff for the criminal and juvenile justice resources coordination functions, and law clerks;

    (11)  (A)  Teachers, principals, vice-principals, complex area superintendents, deputy and assistant superintendents, other certificated personnel, not more than twenty noncertificated administrative, professional, and technical personnel not engaged in instructional work;

         (B)  Effective July 1, 2003, teaching assistants, educational assistants, bilingual/bicultural school-home assistants, school psychologists, psychological examiners, speech pathologists, athletic health care trainers, alternative school work study assistants, alternative school educational/supportive services specialists, alternative school project coordinators, and communications aides in the department of education;

         (C)  The special assistant to the state librarian and one secretary for the special assistant to the state librarian; and

         (D)  Members of the faculty of the University of Hawaii, including research workers, extension agents, personnel engaged in instructional work, and administrative, professional, and technical personnel of the university;

    (12)  Employees engaged in special, research, or demonstration projects approved by the governor;

(13)  (A)  Positions filled by inmates, patients of state institutions, persons with severe physical or mental disabilities participating in the work experience training programs;

         (B)  Positions filled with students in accordance with guidelines for established state employment programs; and

         (C)  Positions that provide work experience training or temporary public service employment that are filled by persons entering the workforce or persons transitioning into other careers under programs such as the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998, as amended, or the Senior Community Service Employment Program of the Employment and Training Administration of the United States Department of Labor, or under other similar state programs;

    (14)  A custodian or guide at Iolani Palace, the Royal Mausoleum, and Hulihee Palace;

    (15)  Positions filled by persons employed on a fee, contract, or piecework basis, who may lawfully perform their duties concurrently with their private business or profession or other private employment and whose duties require only a portion of their time, if it is impracticable to ascertain or anticipate the portion of time to be devoted to the service of the State;

    (16)  Positions of first deputies or first assistants of each department head appointed under or in the manner provided in section 6, article V, of the state constitution; three additional deputies or assistants either in charge of the highways, harbors, and airports divisions or other functions within the department of transportation as may be assigned by the director of transportation, with the approval of the governor; four additional deputies in the department of health, each in charge of one of the following:  behavioral health, environmental health, hospitals, and health resources administration, including other functions within the department as may be assigned by the director of health, with the approval of the governor; an administrative assistant to the state librarian; and an administrative assistant to the superintendent of education;

    (17)  Positions specifically exempted from this part by any other law; provided that [all]:

         (A)  Any exemption created after July 1, 2014, shall expire three years after its enactment unless affirmatively extended by an act of the legislature; and

         (B)  All of the positions defined by paragraph (9) shall be included in the position classification plan;

    (18)  Positions in the state foster grandparent program and positions for temporary employment of senior citizens in occupations in which there is a severe personnel shortage or in special projects;

    (19)  Household employees at the official residence of the president of the University of Hawaii;

    (20)  Employees in the department of education engaged in the supervision of students during meal periods in the distribution, collection, and counting of meal tickets, and in the cleaning of classrooms after school hours on a less than half-time basis;

    (21)  Employees hired under the tenant hire program of the Hawaii public housing authority; provided that except during the time period specified in paragraph (27), not more than twenty-six per cent of the authority's workforce in any housing project maintained or operated by the authority shall be hired under the tenant hire program;

    (22)  Positions of the federally funded expanded food and nutrition program of the University of Hawaii that require the hiring of nutrition program assistants who live in the areas they serve;

    (23)  Positions filled by persons with severe disabilities who are certified by the state vocational rehabilitation office that they are able to perform safely the duties of the positions;

    (24)  The sheriff;

    (25)  A gender and other fairness coordinator hired by the judiciary;

    (26)  Positions in the Hawaii National Guard youth and adult education programs; and

    (27)  From July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2015, persons hired or contracted to perform repair, maintenance, or capital improvement projects work on vacant housing units under the jurisdiction of the Hawaii public housing authority.

     The director shall determine the applicability of this section to specific positions.

     Nothing in this section shall be deemed to affect the civil service status of any incumbent as it existed on July 1, 1955."

     SECTION 4.  Section 412:2-109, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

     "(b)  The commissioner may appoint financial institution examiners, [in accordance with chapter 76,] who shall examine the affairs, transactions, accounts, records, documents, and assets of financial institutions[.]; provided that the financial institution examiners shall be appointed in accordance with chapter 76.  The commissioner may also [may] appoint administrative support personnel, [in accordance with chapter 76,] who shall assist and support the examiners[.]; provided that the administrative support personnel shall be appointed in accordance with chapter 76.  The commissioner may pay the salaries of the financial institution examiners and administrative support personnel from the compliance resolution fund."

     SECTION 5.  Section 440G-12, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:

     "(d)  The director may appoint, without regard to chapter 76, an administrator and one or more attorneys for purposes of enforcing this chapter.  The director shall define their powers and duties and fix their compensation.  The director may also appoint professional, clerical, stenographic, and other staff as may be necessary for the proper administration and enforcement of this chapter; provided that they are appointed subject to chapter 76."

     SECTION 6.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 7.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that the amendments made to section 76-16(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes, by this Act shall not be repealed when section 76-16(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes, is reenacted on July 1, 2015, pursuant to section 5 of Act 159, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

 

 


 


 

Report Title:

Civil Service

 

Description:

Conforms restrictions placed on the creation of civil service exempt positions and annual review requirements. 

 

 

 

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.