STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1624

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.C.R. No. 168

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 168, H.D. 2, entitled:

 

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO STREAMLINE THE STATE'S WORKERS' COMPENSATION PROCESS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to convene a working group to streamline the workers' compensation claim filing process.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Hawaii Insurers Council, General Contractors Association of Hawaii, ILWU Local 142, Chamber of Commerce Hawaii, and two individuals.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Resources Development.

 

     Your Committee finds that organizing a working group to streamline the workers' compensation claim filing process will allow the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to improve the processing of workers' compensation claims.  Further, it would help the Department to fulfill the purposes of the workers' compensation law, which are to ensure timely payment of wage loss benefits and medical care to injured workers to assist workers in returning to work as quickly as possible.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the reference to independent medical examinations to employer-requested medical examinations; and

 

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 168, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 168, H.D. 2, S.D. 1.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair