Hawaii House Bill HCR112

Hawaii 2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/16/26
• Refer: 3/18/26
• Report Pass: 4/2/26
• Engrossed: 4/2/26
• Refer: 4/10/26
• Report Pass: 4/23/26
• Passed: 4/24/26

Caption

Requesting The Department Of Human Resources Development To Collaborate With State Departments, Agencies, And Labor Organizations In Completing The Comprehensive Review Of The Classification And Compensation Systems For All Civil Service Positions Under Its Jurisdiction.

Summary

HCR112 is a House Concurrent Resolution requesting the Department of Human Resources Development (DHRD) to work with state departments, agencies, and labor organizations as it completes the comprehensive review of the State’s civil service classification and compensation systems. The resolution is tied to Act 180 (2025), which already directed DHRD to conduct that review and provide interim and final reports to the Legislature. The measure emphasizes that the review should be informed by operational input from affected agencies and workers, especially in areas with high vacancy rates and hard-to-fill positions. The resolution cites severe workforce challenges in state government, including thousands of vacant civil service positions, long-term vacancies, and a large share of employees nearing retirement eligibility. It frames outdated class specifications and compensation structures as a contributing factor to recruitment and retention problems. By urging collaboration and a focus on the most affected departments, the resolution seeks to improve the quality and practicality of DHRD’s recommendations for modernizing the civil service system.

Impact

HCR112 does not itself amend statutes or create new legal requirements; instead, it expresses the Legislature’s request that DHRD carry out its existing Act 180 mandate in a more collaborative and targeted way. Its practical effect is to encourage DHRD to consult with agencies and labor organizations and to prioritize high-vacancy, difficult-to-fill classifications in the ongoing review of civil service job classes and pay structures. The resolution may influence how DHRD develops recommendations that could later lead to statutory, administrative, or budgetary changes affecting state employees, hiring practices, and compensation policy.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment appears supportive and problem-solving. The resolution is grounded in concern over persistent vacancies, workforce aging, and the State’s difficulty recruiting and retaining employees, and it presents modernization of classification and compensation systems as a necessary step. The Senate Labor and Technology Committee passed the measure unanimously and without amendment, suggesting broad agreement with the resolution’s goals and approach.

Contention

There is little visible opposition in the available record, and no committee transcript indicates substantive debate. The main policy emphasis is not on whether DHRD should review the system, but on how that review should be conducted: with collaboration from departments, agencies, and labor organizations, and with special attention to high-vacancy and hard-to-fill positions. Any potential tension would likely center on how compensation and classification changes are developed and whether they adequately address workforce shortages while remaining operationally feasible and aligned with long-term fiscal and staffing needs.