Bill Text: HI SB901 | 2022 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating To The Department Of Labor And Industrial Relations.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-12-10 - Carried over to 2022 Regular Session. [SB901 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2022-SB901-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
901 |
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THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to the department of labor and industrial relations.
BE IT
ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that many Hawaii workers are unemployed as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Many state employment offices that assist these unemployed workers are closed to in-person assistance and require applicants to conduct business solely through online web-based options. However, many of Hawaii's unemployed workers lack basic computer skills and ready access to the internet. Additionally, many unemployed workers are not proficient in speaking, reading, or writing the English language. The purpose of this bill is to provide meaningful assistance to unemployed workers.
SECTION 2. (a) The department of labor and industrial relations shall open for in-person assistance at least one employment office in the counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui, and at least two employment offices in the county of Honolulu to be located in Waipahu and Honolulu.
(b) For the purposes of this section, "employment office" has the same meaning as section 383-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes.
SECTION 3. The board of education and the state librarian shall cooperate with the department of labor and industrial relations to enact policies, including training as needed, to ensure that all state library staff can minimally assist any person wishing to use public access computers at any state library to file the person's unemployment claim. All public access computers at state libraries shall have the department of labor and industrial relations unemployment claims webpage bookmarked on all web browsers and, to the extent possible, at least one public access computer in each state library shall be reserved for persons wishing to file a claim for unemployment insurance.
SECTION 4. The department of labor and industrial relations shall hire, assign, or reassign staff as necessary to increase the handling capacity for unemployment claims by thirty per cent.
SECTION 5. The legislature allocated $10,000,000 to the department of labor and industrial relations for the purpose of upgrading and modernizing the department's computer technology used in the unemployment claims system. The department of labor and industrial relations shall complete this upgrade along with all other provisions of this Act within six months of the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Unemployment Insurance; Department of Labor and Industrial Relations
Description:
Requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to open at least one office in each county for claimants wishing to file for unemployment insurance in person. Requires state library employees to minimally assist claimants wishing to file for unemployment insurance using public access computers at the library. Requires the department of labor and industrial relations to hire or reassign staff to increase capacity of processing unemployment insurance claims. Requires the department to complete its computer upgrade and modification project within six months of this Acts passage.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
