STAND. COM. REP. NO.527

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 896

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 896 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SICK LEAVE FOR EMPLOYEES IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow employees to use accrued sick leave as family leave to care for a child, spouse, reciprocal beneficiary, or parent with a serious health condition.

The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Society for Human Resource Management-Hawaii Chapter, and The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii testified in opposition to the measure.

Under the State's Family Leave Act, an employee is entitled to four weeks of family leave annually, and may use the leave, for among other purposes, to care for the employee's child, spouse, reciprocal beneficiary, or parent with a serious health condition. However, accrued sick leave may not be used as family leave for any purpose unless the employer normally allows sick leave to be so used or the parties agree to the use of sick leave.

Your Committee finds that the general prohibition against the use of sick leave to care for a seriously ill family member creates an economic hardship for those employees who lack other paid leave such as vacation leave and who are financially unable to take unpaid leave. Further, this financial hardship compounds an already stressful situation for an employee dealing with the serious illness of a loved one. This measure will help employees to better care for their families by allowing them to use paid sick leave when necessitated by the serious illness of a family member.

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 S.B. No. 896 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing.

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

____________________________

BRIAN KANNO, Chair