Bill Text: HI HB2598 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended

Hawaii House Bill 2598 (Prior Session Legislation)

Bill Title: Relating To Family Leave.

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 28-3)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-04-24 - Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Wednesday 04-25-18 9:30AM in conference room 329. [HB2598 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-HB2598-Amended.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	2598
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018		H.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII		S.D. 2

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO FAMILY LEAVE.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawaii's working families are not adequately supported during times of caregiving and illness. While the federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 allows twelve weeks of unpaid leave to employees who have worked at a business that employs fifty or more employees, the majority of Hawaii's workforce cannot afford to take unpaid leave to care for a child or an elderly family member with a serious health condition. Hawaii law offers only a modest four-week extension of unpaid leave and this applies only to Hawaii's few large employers with more than one hundred employees.

The legislature further finds that only eleven per cent of workers in the United States have access to paid family leave through their employers. Women, as primary caregivers of infants, children, and elderly parents, are affected disproportionately by the unavailability of paid family and medical leave. In Hawaii, 247,000 people serve as family caregivers. Hawaii has the fastest growing population of individuals over the age of sixty-five in the nation, and that number is expected to grow by eighty-one per cent by the year 2030. Of those who would benefit from paid family leave, nearly one-third would take those leave benefits to care for an ill spouse or elderly parent. In short, most workers, at some point, will need to take time off to care for an ill family member, but very few can afford it.

The purpose of this Act is to establish paid family leave so that all employees can access leave benefits during times when they need to provide care for a family member.

SECTION 2. (a) By January 1, 2021, the department of labor and industrial relations shall establish a paid family leave program in the State, which shall include:

(1) An expanded temporary disability insurance program;

(2) Paid family leave coverage for all employees of all employers that employ one or more employees;

(3) A system of progressive wage replacement to allow low-income workers to receive a higher percentage of their weekly earnings than average or high-wage workers; and

(4) Job protection to ensure that utilization of paid family leave does not adversely impact employment.

(b) The paid family leave program established pursuant to this Act shall begin processing payments by July 1, 2022.

(c) All executive branch departments and agencies shall enter into and participate in data-sharing agreements for the purposes of this Act, to commence no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2019.

(d) No later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular sessions of 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, the department of labor and industrial relations shall submit a report to the legislature that includes:

(1) The progress of the department of labor and industrial relations in meeting its obligations under this Act;

(2) Recommendations for additional staff necessary for compliance, enforcement, and monitoring;

(3) Additional findings and recommendations, if any; and

(4) Proposed legislation, if any.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 to the department of labor and industrial relations to establish a paid family leave program for all workers by January 1, 2021, including the hiring of one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) program manager.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of labor and industrial relations for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2030; provided that section 3 shall take effect on July 1, 2018.

Report Title:

Paid Family Leave; DLIR; Insurance; Report; Appropriation

Description:

Requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to establish paid family leave for all workers by January 1, 2021. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2030. (SD2)

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.