SR 75: 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.

SENATE RESOLUTION

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.

     WHEREAS, state agencies are experiencing a significant labor shortage that is anticipated to worsen; and

     WHEREAS, according to the Department of Human Resources Development's (DHRD) 2026 annual report to the Legislature, as of November 1, 2025, there were 4,273 vacant civil service positions in its human resources management system, representing a twenty-four percent vacancy rate, and four hundred eighty-five positions had been vacant for four years or more; and

     WHEREAS, DHRD also reported that nearly thirty percent of existing state employees will be eligible for retirement in the next four years; and

     WHEREAS, the class specifications for state positions defining the duties and responsibilities, level of difficulty and authority, and minimum qualifications for the respective classes, and the compensation for these positions have become outdated, contributing to the State's struggle to recruit, hire, and retain employees; and

     WHEREAS, recognizing that modernization of state position classification and compensation systems is essential to attract and retain qualified employees, Act 180, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025 (Act 180) directed DHRD to conduct a comprehensive review of the classification and compensation systems for all civil service positions under its jurisdiction; and

     WHEREAS, Act 180 required DHRD to submit to the Legislature a preliminary report of its findings and recommendations by February 28, 2026, and a final report prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2027; and

     WHEREAS, on February 27, 2026, DHRD submitted to the Legislature its preliminary report outlining the structure, scope, and direction of the work to complete the comprehensive review; and

     WHEREAS, collaborating with state departments, agencies, and labor organizations in completing the comprehensive review will provide DHRD with direct operational insight into the factors contributing to the persistently high vacancy rates and significant numbers of difficult-to-fill positions and enable DHRD to develop recommendations that are operationally practicable and aligned with the State's long-term public sector workforce sustainability needs; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that the Department of Human Resources Development (DHRD) is requested 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 as required by Act 180, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DHRD is requested to emphasize and focus its comprehensive review, including its research, analysis, and development of recommendations, on state departments and agencies with high vacancy rates or significant numbers of difficult-to-fill positions; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and Director of Human Resources Development.

Report Title: 

DHRD; Civil Service Positions; Classification and Compensation Systems; Comprehensive Review; Final Report; Collaboration; State Departments, Agencies, and Labor Organizations; High Vacancy Rates; Difficult-to-Fill Positions; Act 180 (2025)