Hawaii Senate Bill SB1356

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/23/25
• Refer: 1/27/25
• Report Pass: 2/7/25
• Refer: 2/7/25

Caption

Relating To Public Employment Cost Items.

Summary

SB1356 is an appropriations measure for the State of Hawaii’s public employment system. It provides funding for collective bargaining cost items for bargaining unit (11) for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, covering the negotiated agreement between the State and the unit’s exclusive representative. The bill also funds salary increases and other cost adjustments for state officers and employees who are excluded from collective bargaining but are in the same compensation plans as bargaining unit (11) employees. The bill specifies that these costs may be paid from general, special, federal, or other funds as applicable, and directs the director of finance to allot the money to the appropriate state departments. It also includes standard fiscal provisions on lapse of unspent funds and declares that the state’s general fund expenditure ceiling for FY 2025-2026 has already been exceeded and would be further exceeded by this act, with the legislature finding the appropriations necessary to serve the public interest. The bill’s effective date is set for July 1, 2050, which is a common placeholder date in draft legislation and suggests the measure is intended to take effect upon enactment in the relevant session context. In practical terms, the bill would amend state budget authority and support implementation of labor agreement costs for a specific bargaining unit and comparable excluded employees. It does not create a new program or regulatory scheme; instead, it authorizes spending and establishes the funding mechanism for negotiated compensation obligations under Hawaii’s public employment and collective bargaining laws, including chapter 89C, Hawaii Revised Statutes. The general sentiment reflected in the available history is favorable and procedural rather than controversial. The Senate Labor and Technology Committee passed the bill with amendments by a 4-0 vote, indicating unanimous support among those voting at that stage. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded floor debate or detailed public testimony in the provided materials. The main point of potential contention is fiscal: the bill acknowledges that the general fund expenditure ceiling has already been exceeded and that the act would increase that overage further. Any concern would likely center on the budget impact and the justification for exceeding the ceiling, rather than on the underlying labor policy. Because the bill concerns negotiated compensation for public employees, stakeholders most directly affected would be state employees in bargaining unit (11), their excluded counterparts, and state budget officials responsible for implementing the appropriations.

Impact

SB1356 would authorize and appropriate funds for collective bargaining cost items for bargaining unit (11) and for excluded employees in the same compensation plans, affecting state budget authority and payroll administration for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027. It interacts with Hawaii’s public employment and collective bargaining statutes, including chapter 89C, by funding negotiated salary increases and related adjustments, and it directs the director of finance to allocate the funds to the proper departments. The bill also formally invokes the constitutional expenditure-ceiling exception process for the general fund.

Sentiment

The available voting history suggests broad support and little opposition at the committee stage. The Senate Labor and Technology Committee passed the measure 4-0 with amendments, indicating consensus on the need to fund negotiated public employee compensation items. No transcript is available, so there is no evidence of substantive debate in the provided record, and the bill appears to have been treated as a routine appropriations measure.

Contention

The primary area of contention is fiscal rather than policy-based. The bill expressly states that the state’s general fund expenditure ceiling for FY 2025-2026 has already been exceeded and that this act would exceed it further, which could draw scrutiny from budget hawks or lawmakers concerned about spending limits. Otherwise, the measure appears noncontroversial because it implements negotiated compensation obligations for public employees and their excluded counterparts, a category of legislation that is often handled as a necessary budget item.