Bill Text: HI SB2881 | 2010 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: Collective Bargaining; Benefits; Contribution

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-02-10 - (S) Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to WAM. [SB2881 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2010-SB2881-Amended.html

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STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2128

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2881

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2881 entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Delete outdated provisions of law that disallowed the negotiation of cost items as defined in section 89-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, for the biennium 1999 to 2001;

 

     (2)  Delete the prohibition against negotiating benefits of the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund or a Voluntary Employee's Beneficiary Association in collective bargaining negotiations;

 

     (3)  Allow the procedures in section 89-11, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to be available to resolve an impasse in negotiations relating to the State and counties contribution to the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund or Voluntary Employee's Beneficiary Association; and

 

     (4)  Remove the authority and power of the Legislature to establish a contribution amount for the State and counties to the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by one private organization.  Testimony in opposition of this measure was submitted by three state agencies and two county agencies.  Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committee finds that the health care options for employees enrolled under the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund have become more costly and the employees are contributing a greater share than the employers.  Your Committee also finds that authorizing employee labor unions to negotiate with employers on the amount of contributions and benefits paid to the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund will result in more affordable health care plans for employees.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to include repeal and reenactment language.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2881, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2881, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

		____________________________ DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Chair