STAND. COM. REP. NO.  480

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 553

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 553, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to create a new bargaining unit to allow graduate students employed by the University of Hawaii to collectively bargain.

The University of Hawaii Professional Assembly, University of Hawaii at Manoa Graduate Student Organization, Hawaii State AFL-CIO, Unite Here Local 5 Hawaii, and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Office of Collective Bargaining, Department of Budget and Finance, and University of Hawaii System opposed this measure.  The Hawaii Government Employees Association provided comments.

     Your Committee respectfully recommends that should your Committee on Finance choose to consider this measure, particular attention should be given to whether it is appropriate to amend section 89-6(f), Hawaii Revised Statutes, to exempt graduate students from the list of individuals excluded from collective bargaining.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 553, H.D. 1, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,

____________________________

ISAAC W. CHOY, Chair