STAND. COM. REP. NO.  741

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

 

RE:   H.B. No. 496

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 496, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMPLOYMENT,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to ensure that private sector employees in Hawaii are provided partial wage replacement when taking family leave to care for family members by:

 

(1)  Establishing the Partial Wage Replacement for Leave Trust Fund, funded by employee wage withholdings, to disburse family leave benefits to eligible employees; and

 

(2)  Appropriating funds to hire staff to administer the Trust Fund and reimburse the Unemployment Insurance Division for the administrative costs in collecting payments for the Trust Fund.

 

     The Maui County Office on Aging, PHOCUSED, and a concerned individual supported this measure.  The Hawaii Credit Union League, National Federation of Independent Business, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, and Hawaii Food Industry Association opposed this measure.  The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Democratic Party of Hawaii, Democratic Party of Hawaii Women's Caucus, ILWU Local 142, Island Endodontics, Good Beginnings Alliance, Planned Parenthood of Hawaii, Breastfeeding Hawaii, Building Industry Association of Hawaii, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition, and several concerned individuals commented on this measure.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 496, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair