Senate committee advises and consents to three gubernatorial nominees; workforce training and board repeal discussed

The Senate Committee on Labor and Technology advised and consented to three gubernatorial nominees in a March 11 hearing at the Hawaii State Capitol.

Trung Malone, a workforce manager at CVS Health and a gubernatorial nominee to the Hawaii Workforce Development Council, told the committee she draws on a 28-year U.S. Army career and private-sector workforce work to build training pathways. Malone described partnerships with community colleges and community-based organizations, a registered pharmacy technician apprenticeship available across the islands, and local training labs at Maui College and a job corps site in Waimanalo. "I want her to come back," Malone said of her hope that students who leave for college will return to serve Hawaii.

Malone said CVS focuses on entry-level pharmacy technician training and builds career ladders through tuition assistance and fully funded bachelor-degree programs to help employees meet prerequisites for advanced licensure. "We have a registered pharmacy technician apprenticeship program," Malone said, describing it as available on all islands and aimed at creating pipelines into health care. Committee members pressed Malone on retention; Vice Chair Lamasol asked what CVS does to keep staff in retail pharmacy roles. Malone cited company supports including financial counseling, coaches for work–life balance, health and nutrition programs, colleague resource groups and mentorship as examples intended to improve retention.

The committee also heard from Reagan Taniguchi, nominated to the Hoisting Machine Operators Advisory Board. Speaking by Zoom, Taniguchi described two decades as a crane operator with Hawaiian Dredging Construction Company and current work as a crane instructor at the Operating Engineers Training Center in Kahuku. When the chair asked whether Taniguchi was aware of bills to repeal the advisory board, he replied that he was and that he supports repeal. Director Butai later told the committee that, as reflected in the record, a House version listed an effective date of "07/01/3000" and that if repeal legislation takes effect the board would cease to exist at that effective date; the nominee acknowledged his understanding that the board would be nonexistent if repeal passes.

Lance Larson Jr., nominated to the Board of Trustees of the Deferred Compensation Plan, said he has served on the board since 2021 and stressed the board's fiduciary duty to protect participants' retirement savings. Larson gave plan figures recorded in the hearing: about 28,000 participants in the plan, roughly 15,000 active members and about 13,000 inactive members. He noted an upcoming request for proposals for a new plan provider and said outreach (email, newsletters, in-person benefit fairs) will be important to ensure employees know and use plan benefits.

Votes at a glance: The committee recorded the chair's recommendation to "advise and consent" for each nomination. GM629 (Trung Malone) was adopted by recorded voice vote with the chair voting aye, Vice Chair Lamasol voting aye, Senator Ihara voting aye and Senator Moriwaki voting aye; Senator Fevella was excused. GM633 (Reagan Taniguchi) and GM635 (Lance Larson Jr.) were adopted with all members present recorded as voting aye.

The committee moved through questioning, received testimony in support of the nominees, and completed decision making. With no further business, the chair adjourned the Committee on Labor and Technology.

What happens next: The confirmations will be reflected in committee records and, if applicable, in the full Senate's schedule for final confirmation steps. The hearing record also documents a nominee's support for repeal of an advisory board and an administrative note from Director Butai about the repeal bill's listed effective date.