STAND. COM. REP. NO.  51

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

 

RE:   H.B. No. 393

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 393 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to protect the health of all public employees by requiring the State and counties to provide health insurance benefits to part-time, temporary, and seasonal or casual employees.

 

     The Hawaii Government Employees Association, ILWU Local 142, Hawaii State Teachers Association, and Hawaii Uninsured Project of the Hawaii Institute for Public Affairs testified in support of this bill.  The Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund, Department of Budget and Finance, Department of Education, and Department of Human Resources of the City and County of Honolulu testified in opposition to this measure.

 

     Hawaii is known as the "Health State" because of the Prepaid Healthcare Act, which attempted to provide near universal healthcare coverage to the people of Hawaii.  However, many people who are part-time employees do not qualify for health insurance under the Prepaid Healthcare Act.  A large number of part-time, temporary, and seasonal or casual employees who work for the State and county governments fall into this category.  Your Committee finds that the State and counties should lead by example and provide healthcare coverage for all of its employees.

 

However, your Committee recognizes that providing this benefit may have some financial impacts on both the State and the counties.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to July 1, 2059, to promote further discussion.  Technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 393, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 393, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

ALEX M. SONSON, Chair