Labor and Technology Committee advances seven House bills, adopting committee amendments and appropriation notes

The Hawaii Senate Committee on Labor and Technology moved a package of House bills forward on March 18, adopting chair recommendations on each item during decision making.

Key outcomes included:
• HB2271 HD2 (emergency appropriations for public employment cost items): Passed with amendments to include negotiated settlement language for DOE items, blank appropriation amounts, and a defected effective date; roll call recorded Chair, Vice Chair, Senator Hara, Senator Mauriwaki and Senator Favela voting aye.
• HB2324 HD2 (Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Law): Passed with amendment changing effective date to upon approval; unanimous aye recorded.
• HB2387 HD1 (workers’ compensation medical benefits): Passed unamended; unanimous aye recorded.
• HB2116 HD2 (grants to assist people facing federal SNAP/Medicaid eligibility changes): Passed; committee report to insert $65,000 for a temporary program specialist and $10,000 for Attorney General assistance.
• HB1682 HD1 (disclosure of intimate images): Passed with amendments including definitions for bodily injury and digital replicas, expanded definition of intimate image to include digital replicas and deceased individuals, and court powers to prohibit dissemination and identify recipients.
• HB2468 HD1 (internship program/Helemua): Passed with AG and DLIR amendments; committee report notes $190,632 and 2 FTEs to DHERD for implementation.
• HB2091 HD2 (petitions to temporarily restrain harassment of employees): Passed with technical amendments; committee report notes an implementation cost of $300,000 and includes OWR survey findings on workplace violence.

Committee members generally adopted the chair’s recommendations; recorded roll calls were noted for several items and no opposition was recorded on any vote in the transcript. The committee adjourned at the conclusion of the agenda.