STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2119

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2893
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor and Environment, to which was
referred S.B. No. 2893 entitled: 

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to increase Hawaii's minimum
wage to an amount equal to fifty cents above the federal minimum
wage.

     Testimony in favor of the measure was received from the
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Department of Human
Services; Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; ILWU
Local 142; Hawaii Nurses' Association; Hawaii Federation of
Business and Professional Women's Club, Inc.; Local Union 1186,
IBEW; Electrical Contractors Association of Hawaii; American
Friends Service Committee; and two individuals.  

     Testimony in opposition to the measure was received from the
Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii; Liberty House; Legislative
Information Services of Hawaii; Hawaii Hotel Association; Hawaii
Business League; Hawaii Restaurant Association; National
Federation of Independent Business-Hawaii; Kyotaru and Columbia
Inn Restaurants; Small Business Regulatory Review; Retail
Merchants of Hawaii; and one individual.  The Building Industry
Association submitted comments on the measure.

     Your Committee finds that the last minimum wage increase in
Hawaii was in 1993 to $5.25 per hour.  With passage of this

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2119
                                   Page 2


measure, future increases to Hawaii's minimum wage will be
automatically linked to increases in the federal minimum wage.
Your Committee believes that this link to the federal minimum
wage will benefit Hawaii's workers.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Labor and Environment that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 2893 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and
be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   BOB NAKATA, Chair

 
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