Provides annual salary step increases for public schools and public charter school teachers who have completed one year's satisfactory service and comply with specified requirements, if negotiated into a collective bargaining agreement pursuant to section 89-9, HRS, and subject to funds appropriated by the Legislature. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Establishes an Agricultural Workforce Housing Working Group within the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to address the shortage and challenges of agricultural workforce housing in the State. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
SB 2593 exempts certain positions on the Law Enforcement Standards Board from state civil service rules and collective bargaining agreements. This change directly affects employees in those specific roles by removing standard hiring, promotion, and union negotiation requirements. The bill alters how these positions are governed under state employment regulations. It does not affect other Board functions or staff outside the exempted roles.
Allows impasses and disputes relating to the amounts of State and county contributions to the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund to be resolved by arbitration. Repeals the prohibition against strikes by members of bargaining units on the issue of the amounts of State and county contributions to the Trust Fund. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Repeals the prohibition placed on certain employees exempt from Civil Service Law from grieving a suspension or discharge. Allows any employee who is a member of an appropriate bargaining unit to grieve any disciplinary action, unless prohibited by the applicable collective bargaining agreement. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Requires the Department of Education and public charter schools to take certain steps regarding incidents of harassment and implement procedures for handling harassment of educational workers. (SD1)
Requires the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, in consultation with the Insurance Commissioner, to establish and implement a five-year voluntary Nontraditional Workforce Portable Health Care Benefit Plan Pilot Program that offers high deductible health plans or catastrophic health plans to nontraditional workers who are ineligible for health benefits provided by the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund or prepaid health care plans under the Prepaid Health Care Act. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)
Establishes the Kupaa Retention Bonus Program to be administered by the Department of Law Enforcement to provide $15,000 retention bonuses to eligible sworn law enforcement officers that have worked a minimum of two thousand hours during the preceding fiscal year, subject to collective bargaining negotiations. Requires the Department of Law Enforcement to report to the Legislature on the effectiveness of the Kupaa Retention Bonus Program. Appropriates funds for the Kupaa Retention Bonus Program. Sunsets 6/30/2028. (SD1)
Requires the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to: (1) Establish a four-year Restorative Aquaculture Development Program to reduce aquaculture permit processing time, support aquaculture infrastructure expansion, increase the aquaculture workforce, and pursue federal aquaculture grants; (2) Establish three pilot demonstration sites for restorative aquaculture; and (3) Convene a Restorative Aquaculture Advisory Council. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds. Effective 7/1/2050. (SD1)
Prohibits discrimination based on the perception that a person possesses certain characteristics, the perception that a person is associated with a person who possesses, or is perceived to possess, certain characteristics, or the intersection or combination of two or more specified characteristics in relation to a person. (SD1)
