Bill Text: HI SR78 | 2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Labor And Industrial Relations To Open Employment Offices In All Counties; Increase The Handling Capacity For Unemployment Benefit Claims By Thirty Percent; Complete The Upgrading Of Its Unemployment Benefit Claims Computer System; And Work With The Board Of Education And The State Librarian To Adopt Policies And Needed Training To Ensure That Minimal Assistance Is Provided To Persons Wishing To Use Public Access Computers At Any State Library To File Unemployment Benefit Claims.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-16 - Referred to LCA, WAM. [SR78 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2021-SR78-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.R. NO. |
78 |
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THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE RESOLUTION
REquesting THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS to open employment offices in all counties; increase the handling capacity for unemployment benefit claims by thirty percent; complete the upgrading of its unemployment benefit claims computer system; and Work with the Board of Education and the State Librarian to Adopt policies and needed training to ensure that minimal assistance is provided to persons wishing to use public access computers at any state library to file unemployment benefit claims.
WHEREAS, the disruptions caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic resulted in many Hawaii workers losing their jobs and an unprecedented number of unemployment benefit claims; and
WHEREAS, many state employment offices, as defined in section 383-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, that assist unemployed workers are closed for in-person assistance thus requiring unemployed workers to seek information, create on-line accounts, file unemployment benefit claims and weekly claim certifications, submit information, and make inquiries solely through online web-based options; and
WHEREAS, 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 for its unemployment benefit claims system; and
WHEREAS, the lack of in-person assistance is hindering the unemployed workers from receiving the required assistance or benefits they may be entitled to, as many of them lack basic computer skills and ready access to the internet, and are not proficient in speaking, reading, or writing the English language; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is requested to open for in-person assistance, at least one employment office in each of the counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui, and at least two employment offices on the island of Oahu to be located in Waipahu and Honolulu; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is requested to hire, assign, or reassign staff as necessary to increase the handling capacity for unemployment benefit claims by thirty percent; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is requested to complete the upgrading and modernization of its unemployment benefit claims computer system; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education and the State Librarian are requested to cooperate with the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to adopt policies and training as needed, to ensure that all state public library staff can provide minimal assistance to any person wishing to use public access computers at any state library to file the person's unemployment benefit claim and certifications; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all public access computers at state libraries are requested to have the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Unemployment Insurance Claimant Services webpage bookmarked on all web browsers, and to the extent possible, at least one public access computer in each state public library shall be reserved for persons wishing to file a claim for unemployment benefits; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the above requests are requested to be completed within thirty days of the receipt of this resolution; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, State Librarian, Mayor of the County of Hawaii, Mayor of the County of Maui, Mayor of the County of Kauai, and Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; Unemployment Benefit Claims; Employment Offices; Upgrading of System; Public Library System
