STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1145

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 676

       H.D. 1

       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.B. No. 676, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Authorize the Chair of the State Public Charter School Commission to vote on collective bargaining agreements for bargaining units (5) and (6); and

 

     (2)  Amend the votes pertaining to collective bargaining agreements for bargaining unit (9), by providing that the Governor shall have three votes, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation shall have two votes, and the Chief Justice shall have one vote.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Charter School Commission, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation – East Hawaii Region, and Hawaii Public Charter Schools Network.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Education and Hawaii State Teachers Association.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Collective Bargaining.

 

     Your Committee finds that employees of public charter schools may have specific issues and circumstances that are unique from employees of other public schools.  There is currently no formal mechanism in place to ensure that public charter schools are represented in collective bargaining negotiations.  This measure would allow for public charter school employees in bargaining units (5) and (6) to be represented in negotiations.  This measure also allows bargaining unit (9), which consists almost entirely of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation nurses, to be better represented in negotiations of their collectively bargained agreement.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting the language that would have amended the negotiating parties and vote allocations for bargaining units (5) and (6); and

 

     (2)  Changing the effective date to January 7, 2059.

 

     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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 676, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 676, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair