STAND. COM. REP. NO.  91

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   H.B. No. 916

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Economic Development & Business, to which was referred H.B. No. 916 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MINIMUM HOURLY WAGE,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to increase the minimum hourly wage to $8.75 per hour beginning January 1, 2014, and to adjust the minimum hourly wage thereafter using the Consumer Price Index.

 

     Additionally, this measure increases the tip credit for tipped employees from twenty-five cents to thirty cents.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Human Services; the Office of Community Services, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; the Hawaii State AFL-CIO; the Hawaii Laborers' Union; the United Public Workers; the Hawaii Catholic Conference; the Democratic Party of Hawaii; the American Civil Liberties Union; and several concerned individuals.

 

     Testimony in opposition to this measure was received from the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii; the National Federation of Independent Business; Palama Holdings LLC; the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Hawaii; the Hawaii Food Industry Association; Keiki O Ka 'Aina Learning Centers; VIP Foodservice; Okimoto Corp; Hawaii Foam Products, LLC; Ito En (USA) Inc.; Retail Merchants of Hawaii; Kualapuu Market, Ltd.; the Hawaii Business League; Times Supermarkets; KTA Super Store; Pacific Quest; KYD, Inc.; City Mill; and a concerned individual.

 

     Comments on the measure were received from the Department of Human Resources Development and Island Princess.

 

     Your Committees find that an increase in the minimum wage will give minimum and low-wage workers more spending power to meet their most essential needs and therefore will generate economic activity to support the State's continued recovery from the recession.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Economic Development & Business that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 916 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Economic Development & Business,

 

 

____________________________

CLIFT TSUJI, Chair

 

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair