STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3296

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1966

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1966, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the State Auditor to report to the Legislature on the current state of the civil service exemption process and to recommend procedures, guidelines, and criteria to ensure that the exemption process is used appropriately and only in extraordinary circumstances.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the United Public Workers and the Hawaii Government Employees Association.  Written comments were received from the Department of Human Resources Development.

     Your Committee finds that prior legislative efforts to convert civil service exempt positions to civil service positions have resulted in only a few conversions, and further conversions are long overdue.  Your Committee believes that this measure will inform the Legislature on the exemption process and ensure that the civil service exemption process is used appropriately.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Making conforming amendments to clarify that the scope of the measure includes the county civil service exemption processes; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1966, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1966, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair