HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2598

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

relating to Family leave.

 

 

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

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that Hawaii's working families are not adequately supported during times of caregiving and illness.  While the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 allows twelve weeks of unpaid leave to employees who have worked at a business that employs fifty or more employees, the majority of Hawaii's workforce cannot afford to take unpaid leave to care for a child or an elderly family member with a serious health condition.  Hawaii law offers only a modest four-week extension of unpaid leave and this applies only to Hawaii's few large employers with more than one hundred employees.

     The legislature further finds that only eleven per cent of workers in the United States have access to paid family leave through their employers.  Women, as primary caregivers of infants, children, and elderly parents, are affected disproportionately by the unavailability of paid family and medical leave.  In Hawaii, 247,000 people serve as family caregivers.  Hawaii has the fastest growing population of individuals over the age of sixty-five in the nation, and that number is expected to grow by eighty-one per cent by the year 2030.  Of those who would benefit from paid family leave, nearly one-third would take those leave benefits to care for an ill spouse or elderly parent.  In short, most workers, at some point, will need to take time off to care for an ill family member, but very few can afford it.

     The purpose of this Act is to lay the groundwork to implement a paid family leave framework of laws and policies so that all employees may access leave benefits during times when they need to provide care for a family member.

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 398, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part I to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§398-     Paid family leave special fund.  (a)  There is established a paid family leave special fund into which shall be deposited the following moneys:

     (1)  Appropriations by the legislature to the special fund; and

     (2)  Gifts, donations, and grants from public agencies and private persons.

All interest earned or accrued on moneys deposited in the fund shall become part of the fund.  The fund shall be administered by the department; provided that the department may contract with a public or private agency to provide the day-to-day management of the fund.

     (b)  Subject to legislative authorization, the department may expend moneys from the fund:

     (1)  For permanent and temporary staff positions;

     (2)  To cover administrative and operational costs of implementing any legislative requirement to establish paid family leave for all workers in the State."

     SECTION 3.  (a)  By January 1, 2023, the department of labor and industrial relations shall adopt rules, pursuant to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, that establish paid family leave for all workers in the State.

     (b)  The department may adopt interim rules, which shall be exempt from chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to effectuate the purposes of this Act; provided that the interim rules shall remain in effect until January 1, 2023, or until rules are adopted pursuant to subsection (a), whichever occurs sooner.

     SECTION 4.  (a)  There is established a paid family leave implementation task force within the department of labor and industrial relations for administrative purposes only to assist the department in establishing paid family leave for all workers in the State, pursuant to this Act.

     (b)  The paid family leave implementation task force shall comprise the following individuals or their designees:

     (1)  The director of labor and industrial relations, who shall serve as the chairperson;

     (2)  The director of human resources development;

     (3)  The comptroller;

     (4)  The insurance commissioner;

     (5)  The chairperson of the senate committee on labor, or a successor committee; and

     (6)  The chairperson of the house of representatives committee on labor and public employment, or a successor committee with jurisdiction over labor.

     (c)  The following persons shall be appointed as members of the task force:

     (1)  One representative of The Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, to be appointed by the governor;

     (2)  One representative of the insurance industry, to be appointed by the president of the senate;

     (3)  One representative of the insurance industry, to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives;

     (4)  One representative of a labor union in the State, to be appointed by the president of the senate; and

     (5)  One representative of a labor union in the State, to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.

     (d)  The paid family leave implementation task force shall develop an analysis and implementation plan for providing workers with family leave insurance benefits during times when a worker is required to take leave to care for a family member.

     (e)  No later than twenty days prior to the regular session of 2019, the paid family leave implementation task force shall submit a report to the legislature that includes:

     (1)  A comparative analysis of potential paid family leave models, including a breakdown of the costs for implementation and sustaining each model;

     (2)  A five-year budget for establishing paid family leave;

     (3)  A timeline for implementing paid family leave, including benchmarks and deliverables;

     (4)  A schedule for ongoing audits;

     (5)  Findings and other recommendations, including recommendations for ongoing regulation and additional funding resources; and

     (6)  Proposed legislation, if any.

     (f)  No later than twenty days prior to the regular sessions of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 the paid family leave implementation task force shall submit a report to the legislature that includes:

     (1)  Updates to the analysis and implementation plan, as necessary;

     (2)  The progress of the department of labor and industrial relations in meeting its obligation required by this Act;

     (3)  Additional findings and recommendations, if any; and

     (4)  Proposed legislation, if any.

     (g)  The task force shall cease to exist on January 1, 2024.

     SECTION 5.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,500,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 to be deposited into the paid family leave special fund.

     SECTION 6.  There is appropriated out of the paid family leave special fund the sum of $1,500,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 to fund one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) program manager to support the paid family leave implementation task force and the department of labor and industrial relations in establishing paid family leave for all workers by January 1, 2023.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of labor and industrial relations for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 7.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that sections 5 and 6 shall take effect on July 1, 2018.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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Report Title:

Paid Family Leave; DLIR; Insurance; Task Force; Report; Appropriation

 

Description:

Requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to establish paid family leave for all workers by 1/1/2023.  Authorizes the department to adopt interim rules.  Establishes the paid family leave implementation task force to assist the department and report to the Legislature.  Establishes a paid family leave special fund.  Appropriates moneys.

 

 

 

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