Bill Text: HI HR29 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requesting The Department Of Human Resources Development To Convene A Task Force To Examine Whether Reforms Are Needed For The State Civil Service System.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-02-22 - Referred to LAB, FIN, referral sheet 24 [HR29 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2017-HR29-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	29
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT TO CONVENE A TASK FORCE TO EXAMINE WHETHER REFORMS ARE NEEDED FOR THE STATE CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM.

 

 

 

WHEREAS, every day approximately 10,000 baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 are expected to reach the retirement age of 65; and

 

WHEREAS, in a report titled "Hawaii's Workforce" dated December 2010, the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) warned that the government sector should be concerned over the anticipated labor shortage caused by baby boomer retirements; and

    

     WHEREAS, DBEDT also reported that the older workers outweighed the young workers (age 18-44) two-to-one in the education and government sectors and that these two sectors should be concerned over the anticipated labor shortage over the next 20 years; and

 

     WHEREAS, in the "State of Hawaii Executive Branch Workforce Profile" submitted by the Department of Human Resources Development (DHRD) dated December 2015, it was reported that the Executive Branch had 49,265 civil service and exempt employees as of June 30, 2015; and

 

     WHEREAS, DHRD also reported that 28.16 percent of the executive branch workforce will be eligible to retire by June 30, 2020, which is about 13,875 employees; and

 

     WHEREAS, as more baby boomers retire, the State and counties will lose many workers with special talents, experience, and skills; and

     WHEREAS, the State and counties, as well as other industries, will need to plan ahead for higher replacement needs, which means that workers will be moving up faster in the organization and holding positions with less experience; and

 

     WHEREAS, in light of a more competitive recruiting environment, public employers will need to figure out how to attract new workers to government jobs and motivate them to stay in the government sector; and

 

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that the State Civil Service System may need to be reformed to ensure that the State and county governments have the ability to continue to operate and provide necessary governmental services effectively and efficiently as more baby boomers retire; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, that the Department of Human Resources Development is requested to convene a civil service reform task force (Task Force) to examine whether reforms are needed for the State Civil Service System; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Human Resources Development is requested to convene and serve as the Chairperson of the Task Force, which shall include the following members:

 

(1)  A representative from the Department of Education's Office of Human Resources;

 

(2)  A representative from the University of Hawaii System's Office of Human Resources;

 

(3)  A representative from the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation's Office of Human Resources;

 

(4)  The Director of the Department of Human Resources, City and County of Honolulu, or the Director's designated representative;

(5) The Director of the Department of Human Resources, Kauai County, or the Director's designated representative;

 

(6)  The Director of the Department of Human Resources, Hawaii County, or the Director's designated representative;

 

(7)  The Director of Personnel Services, Maui County, or the Director's designated representative;

 

(8)  The Chief Negotiator of the Office of Collective Bargaining and Managed Competition, or the Chief Negotiator's designated representative; and

 

(9)  Two members representing the various public sector employee labor organizations; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force is requested to consider whether civil service reforms are needed to address an aging government workforce in Hawaii, including but not limited to:

 

(1)  How the recruiting and hiring process of the State and counties can be improved and streamlined to attract and retain younger workers;

 

(2)  Whether civil service exams should be replaced with a resume-based system for merit hiring to better assess a candidate's qualifications;

 

(3)  Whether job classifications and descriptions accurately reflect the knowledge, skills, and ability to do the specific job, and if not, how these classifications should be revised;

 

(4)  What can be done to ensure that new employees are sufficiently trained to replace retiring baby boomers; and

(5)  Whether new technologies, such as the IBM Watson technology platform, which can assist the public sector in quickly extracting key information from large amounts of data, should be used by the public sector in the recruiting and training of new employees; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force examine civil service reforms in other states, such as California, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Indiana; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that no member of the Task Force shall be made subject to chapter 84, Hawaii Revised Statutes, solely because of that member's participation as a member of the Task Force; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to provide any necessary administrative, professional, clerical, and research support to the Task Force; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislative Reference Bureau is requested to provide a report of the Task Force's findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2018; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Human Resources Development, Superintendent of Education, President of the University of Hawaii, Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, the Directors of Human Resources for the Counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and the City and County of Honolulu, Director of Personnel Services of Maui County, Chief Negotiator of the Office of Collective Bargaining and Managed Competition, and Director of the Legislative Reference Bureau.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Civil Service Reform; Task Force