Bill Text: HI HCR57 | 2021 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Urging The Hawaii State Commission On The Status Of Women To Convene An Inter-governmental Feminist Economic Recovery Working Group.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-24 - Report adopted. referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 1 with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Okimoto voting no (1) and none excused (0). [HCR57 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2021-HCR57-Amended.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
57 |
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THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING THE HAWAII STATE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN TO CONVENE AN INTER-GOVERNMENTAL FEMINIST ECONOMIC RECOVERY WORKING GROUP.
WHEREAS, the virus known as SARS‑CoV‑2 causes a disease named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19), which spread globally and was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020; and
WHEREAS, upon reaching Hawaii, the COVID‑19 outbreak disrupted the local economy, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents unemployed, underemployed, or facing financial hardship; and
WHEREAS, low-wage workers were disproportionately harmed by Hawaii's economic downturn, which worsened their financial precarity and left thousands of working families unable to pay for food, housing, electricity, and other necessities; and
WHEREAS, at the peak of Hawaii's economic downturn, the State experienced levels of unemployment not seen since the Great Depression, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics; and
WHEREAS, women have been disproportionately harmed by the economic crisis and potential cuts to government services because they earn less than men for substantially similar work; and
WHEREAS, women in Hawaii are also at greater risk of contracting COVID‑19 due to women representing nearly two-thirds of frontline essential workers in the State; and
WHEREAS, women additionally account for more than fifty percent of jobs lost since February 2020 and continue to perform the majority of household and care-giving activities that prevent them from engaging in full-time paid work; and
WHEREAS, according to a survey by LeanIn.org, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping women achieve their goals, eighty percent of mothers have taken on more household work since the COVID-19 pandemic began; and
WHEREAS, a report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization noted that ninety‑one percent of the world's students were affected by school and childcare closures caused by the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women issued a report in April 2020 entitled "Building Bridges, Not Walking On Backs: Feminist Economic Recovery Plan for COVID‑19", which called for transitioning to an economy that better values the essential work that sustains communities in the State; and
WHEREAS, in June 2020, the Maui County Council adopted a resolution in support of a feminist economic recovery plan and on July 8, 2020, the Hawaii County Council passed a resolution urging the county administration to consider gender differences in its response to COVID‑19; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the Senate concurring, that the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women is urged to convene an Inter‑Governmental Feminist Economic Recovery Working Group; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to develop a framework for an economic recovery that addresses the social, economic, ecological, and health care gaps exposed by the pandemic and that promotes gender equity; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to specifically consider:
(1) The economic impact of COVID‑19 on women and gender nonconforming individuals, especially with regard to employees working in majority‑female industries;
(2) Pandemic‑related challenges facing caregivers and methods for improving the State's social care infrastructure;
(3) The effect of COVID‑19 and stay‑at‑home orders on victims of gender violence, including sexual abuse, domestic violence, and sex trafficking;
(4) Distribution of public and private sector resources for programs that serve women and gender nonconforming individuals, including in the areas of child care, health care, housing, education, digital and information technology, and financial support; and
(5) Approaches for expanding women's and gender nonconforming individuals' access to male-dominant industries that provide opportunities for economic diversification, including renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, information technology, and construction trades; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to consist of the following members:
(1) The Executive Director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women, or the Executive Director's designee, who shall serve as the co-chairperson of the working group;
(2) The Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, or the Director's designee, who shall serve as the co‑chairperson of the working group;
(3) The Director of Health, or the Director's designee;
(4) The Director of Human Services, or the Director's designee;
(5) The Superintendent of Education, or the Superintendent's designee;
(6) The Chief Executive Officer of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, or the Chief Executive Officer's designee;
(7) A representative from a labor union that represents workers in a majority‑female industry or profession, to be appointed by the chairperson of the task force;
(8) A representative from a nonprofit, public interest organization that advocates on behalf of issues relating to women, to be appointed by the chairperson of the task force;
(9) A representative from a nonprofit, public interest organization specializing in advocacy for environmental and conservation issues, to be appointed by the chairperson of the task force;
(10) A representative from a nonprofit, public interest organization specializing in advocacy for children, to be appointed by the chairperson of the task force;
(11) A representative from a nonprofit, interfaith organization in Hawaii, to be appointed by the chairperson of the task force;
(12) A representative from a nonprofit, public interest organization that advocates on behalf of low‑income individuals and families in Hawaii on civil legal issues of statewide importance, to be appointed by the chairperson of the task force;
(13) A representative from a nonprofit, public interest organization that advocates on behalf of issues relating to individuals with disabilities, to be appointed by the chairperson of the task force; and
(14) A representative from a nonprofit, public interest organization that advocates on behalf of issues relating to Hawaii's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus community, to be appointed by the chairperson of the task force; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2022; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Director of Health; Director of Human Services; Superintendent of Education; Chief Executive Officer of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs; and Executive Director of the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women.
Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women; Feminist Economic Recovery; Working Group
