Requesting The Senate Standing Committee On Labor And Technology And House Of Representatives Standing Committee On Labor To Convene A Legislative Working Group To Develop Recommendations For Establishing And Implementing A Paid Family And Medical Leave Program For The State.
H.R. 175 is a House Resolution that does not itself create a paid family and medical leave program, but instead asks the House Labor Committee and Senate Labor and Technology Committee to convene a legislative working group to develop recommendations for such a program in Hawaii. The resolution lays out the policy rationale for paid leave, citing the gap between current federal and state unpaid leave protections and the limited access many Hawaii workers have to paid family and medical leave, especially in small businesses. It also emphasizes the burdens on family caregivers, working parents, sandwich-generation caregivers, and workers facing serious illness, domestic violence, or military deployment-related needs.
The resolution directs the working group to study program design options, including leave duration, wage replacement, eligibility, employment protections, coverage for public and private sector workers, and participation by self-employed workers. It also requires the group to examine how a new paid family and medical leave program could interact with Hawaii’s Temporary Disability Insurance system, including whether the existing private TDI structure should be transitioned or expanded into a public program. The working group must report findings and any proposed legislation to the Legislature before the 2026 session.
Because H.R. 175 is a resolution, it does not amend the Hawaii Revised Statutes or immediately change employer obligations. Its legal effect is to initiate a policy-development process involving state labor officials, legislative leaders, public-sector employers, worker representatives, business representatives, caregivers, and insurers. The resolution could influence future legislation affecting family leave, temporary disability insurance, employer payroll contributions, and statewide leave administration if the working group’s recommendations are adopted.
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive of paid family and medical leave. The resolution presents the proposal as a workforce, caregiving, and equity measure, arguing that it would help workers, improve retention, and reduce strain on families while also being more feasible for employers than a privately funded approach. No committee transcripts or vote records were provided, so there is no recorded opposition or formal vote-based sentiment in the available context.
The main points of contention identified in the resolution are practical and fiscal rather than ideological: how to finance the program, what wage replacement rate and leave duration to adopt, whether coverage should extend to all employers and self-employed workers, and how to integrate the proposal with the existing private Temporary Disability Insurance system. The resolution also anticipates differing interests among small businesses, labor organizations, public employers, caregivers, and insurers, which suggests likely debate over cost, administrative structure, and the scope of benefits.