Bill Text: HI HB867 | 2019 | Regular Session | Amended

Hawaii House Bill 867 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Relating To The Department Of Human Resources Development.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-06-12 - Act 057, 06/07/2019 (Gov. Msg. No. 1158). [HB867 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2019-HB867-Amended.html

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	867
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019		H.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII		S.D. 2

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

PART I

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that it is in the State's best interest to support critical government functions with the most talented and qualified staff. The legislature additionally finds that there continues to be persistent vacancies in various state departments and agencies without a clear cause of the breakdown in the recruitment and hiring process for filling these vacant positions.

The legislature also finds that the department of human resources development currently lacks a key type of employee position to serve as a liaison between the department of human resources development and state departments and agencies to facilitate and expedite the hiring and recruitment for civil service positions within the department of human resources development's jurisdiction.

The purpose of this part is to establish an experimental modernization administrative officer position that shall:

(1) Facilitate and expedite the hiring and recruitment for civil service positions under the jurisdiction of the department of human resources development; and

(2) Direct experimental modernization projects as required by law.

SECTION 2. Section 26-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§26-5 Department of human resources development. (a) The department of human resources development shall be headed by a single executive to be known as the director of human resources development.

(b) The department shall administer the state human resources program, including human resources development and training, and central human resources services such as recruitment, examination, classification, pay administration, and payment of any claims as required under chapter 386.

(c) There shall be within the department of human resources development a board to be known as the merit appeals board which shall sit as an appellate body on matters set forth in section 76-14. The board shall consist of three members. All members shall have knowledge of public employment laws and prior experience with public employment; provided that at least one member's experience was with an employee organization as a member or an employee of that organization and at least one member's experience was with management. The governor shall consider the names of qualified individuals submitted by employee organizations or management before appointing the members of the board. The chairperson of the board shall be designated as specified in the rules of the board.

(d) The provisions of section 26-34 shall not apply and the board members shall be appointed by the governor for four-year terms and may be re-appointed without limitation; provided that the initial appointments shall be for staggered terms, as determined by the governor. The governor shall fill any vacancy by appointing a new member for a four-year term. The governor may remove for cause any member after due notice and public hearing.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed as in any manner affecting the civil service laws applicable to the several counties, the judiciary, or the Hawaii health systems corporation or its regional system boards, which shall remain the same as if this chapter had not been enacted.

(f) There is established within the department of human resources development an experimental modernization administrative officer position exempt from chapter 76. The experimental modernization administrative officer shall be appointed by and report to the director of human resources development.

The experimental modernization administrative officer shall:

(1) Facilitate and expedite the hiring and recruitment for civil service positions under the jurisdiction of the department of human resources development; and

(2) Direct experimental modernization projects as required by law.

[~~(f)~~] (g) There is established in the state treasury the human resources development special fund, to be administered by the department of human resources development, which shall consist of: all revenues received by the department as a result of entrepreneurial efforts in securing new sources of funds not provided for in the department's budget for services rendered by the department, all revenues received by the department from the charging of participant fees for in-service training that are in addition to general fund appropriations in the department's budget for developing and operating in-service training programs, appropriations made by the legislature to the fund, and moneys directed to the department from any other source, including gifts, grants, and awards.

Moneys in the human resources development special fund shall be used for the following purposes:

(1) Supporting the department's entrepreneurial initiatives, training activities, and programs;

(2) Administrative costs of the department's entrepreneurial initiatives, training activities, and programs; and

(3) Any other purpose deemed necessary by the director for the purpose of facilitating the department's entrepreneurial initiatives, training activities, and programs.

[~~(g)~~] (h) The department of human resources development shall submit, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session [[]of the legislature[]] beginning with the regular session of 2007, a report of the number of exempt positions that were converted to civil service positions during the previous twelve months. The report shall include but not be limited to:

(1) When the position was established;

(2) The purpose of the position;

(3) Rationale for the conversion; and

(4) How many exempt positions remain in each state department after the conversions."

PART II

SECTION 3. The legislature finds that staff vacancies continue to plague the executive departments in carrying out their individual missions and functions. The department of human resources development is responsible for providing leadership and assistance to state departments to recruit and retain the best and brightest employees necessary to fill critical vacancies. The department of human resources development is currently working with other state departments in identifying solutions to problems in recruitment, which include streamlining the recruitment process; simplifying the class specifications, including minimum qualifications; and developing competitive salary programs. To find solutions for recruitment problems, the department of human resources development is proposing to establish an experimental modernization project and has identified departments to test and implement solutions to the recruitment problems of the State.

The purpose of this part is to establish an experimental modernization project within the department of human resources development that will further the purposes of section 78-3.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to address recruitment problems faced by the State's executive departments.

SECTION 4. There is established within the department of human resources development an experimental modernization project, which the experimental modernization administrative officer shall direct. The project shall:

(1) Develop and evaluate innovative methods of compensation to be competitive in the current employment market;

(2) Identity and modify, as appropriate, position classifications that require updating;

(3) Develop innovative methods for recruitment, including the:

(A) Opening of intern positions that lead to employment;

(B) Exploration of recruitment software to expedite hiring; and

(4) Train and assist departmental human resources staff in meeting the staffing needs of their respective departments.

SECTION 5. The department of human resources development shall prepare a report on the experimental modernization project, which shall include:

(1) Criteria for the evaluation of the project;

(2) Information on any improvement in executive departments' recruitment and hiring rates;

(3) Information on any innovative methods developed, and the results of implementing those methods; and

(4) Other findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to address recruitment needs of state executive departments.

The department shall submit its report to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2020.

SECTION 6. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2019-2020 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2020-2021 to establish the experimental modernization project pursuant to section 4 of this Act and full-time equivalent ( FTE) positions to implement the experimental modernization project.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of human resources development for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 7. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 8. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.

Report Title:

DHRD; Employee Recruitment; Experimental Modernization Administrative Officer; Position; Experimental Modernization Project; Appropriation

Description:

Establishes, for the purpose of facilitating and expediting the hiring and recruitment for civil service positions and directing experimental modernization projects as required by law, the Experimental Modernization Administrative Officer position exempt from chapter 76, Hawaii Revised Statutes, within the Department of Human Resources Development. Establishes in the Department of Human Resources Development an experimental modernization project to address employee recruitment problems faced by the State's executive departments. Makes an appropriation to establish the project and positions to implement the project. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD2)

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