STAND. COM. REP. NO.  400

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

 

RE:   H.B. No. 536

      H.D. 2

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 536, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to promote gender equality in the workplace by encouraging improvements in pay equity between women and men.  This measure requires certain state government contractors to pay employees equal wages for equal work; comply with reporting requirements; and be subject to penalties for violations of the equal pay requirement.

 

     The Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, and Planned Parenthood of Hawaii testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Accounting and General Services and a concerned individual testified in opposition.  General Contracting Association of Hawaii provided comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure to have Department of Labor and Industrial Relations receive contractors' reports, then transfer the reports to the governmental contracting agency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 536, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 536, H.D. 2.

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair