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House Committee on Tourism defers bill requiring anti-harassment rules and panic buttons for hospitality workers
Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony March 13 on SB 16 60, a measure that would require hospitality employers to adopt anti-harassment policies, training and panic buttons; the committee deferred the bill pending interagency work to avoid duplication with existing safety and civil-rights law.
The House Committee on Tourism on March 13 heard testimony on SB 16 60, a proposed measure that would require hospitality employers to implement anti-harassment measures, provide training, equip certain workers with panic buttons, and prohibit retaliation for filing complaints or participating in investigations. Chair Tam recommended deferring the bill so state agencies can work with the bill introducer to resolve potential conflicts with existing law.
The bill’s sponsor and summary on the committee agenda said the measure “requires employers in the hospitality industry to implement anti harassment measures, provide training, and equip certain workers with panic buttons, prohibits retaliation against hospitality workers who files a complaint, uses the provide a panic button or participates in an investigation or proceeding relating to a harassment complaint, requires [the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations] to adopt rules, including rules determining penalties and establishing procedures for handling complaints,” and that employers must comply by Jan. 1, 2026. The agenda text included an unclear effective-date line that was not clarified in testimony.
Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Deputy Director Bill Kuntzman told the committee the department “appreciates the intent of this measure, but we have some concerns due to conflicts and duplication with occupational safety and health as well as civil rights laws.” Kuntzman and Roy Talai of the occupational safety and health division said existing Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health (HIOSH) requirements already require written safety and health plans, training, and protections against retaliation for protected complaint activity.
Marcus Kawatachi, executive director of the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, said the commission is “very concerned about the danger of harassment and assault for all workers in Hawaii, but particularly the most vulnerable,” and urged care in drafting the bill so it would not “create a process that would either duplicate or conflict with the established procedures that we have.” Kawatachi noted the commission enforces statutory and rule-based procedures, pursues affirmative relief such as training and policy reviews, and that workers should not be discouraged from filing existing civil-rights complaints because of parallel processes.
Yasmine Chaney of the State Commission on the Status of Women, Michael Beloyed Jr. of Pride at Work Hawai‘i, and Jewel Davis of the Hawai‘i Workers Center each urged passage or amendments to strengthen worker protections. Chaney said the bill “is needed because it provides additional safety measures for protected classes that work in isolated work environments.” Jewel Davis said many hospitality workers are immigrants and face economic pressures that deter reporting, stating that “68% of housekeeping workers who are immigrants, primarily Filipino and COFA workers.” Pride at Work urged removing duplicative provisions while preserving protections and enforcement.
After discussion, Chair Tam said the committee was not ready to pass legislation that duplicates existing law and recommended deferring the bill to provide time for the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, the State Commission on the Status of Women, the Civil Rights Commission and the bill introducer to develop possible revisions during the interim. The chair’s recommendation was recorded as the committee’s action; no roll-call vote on passage was taken at the hearing.
The committee’s deferral leaves open whether the final bill will: narrow or clarify the new complaint process, explicitly coordinate enforcement with HIOSH and the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, set a final compliance or effective date, or define which job categories would be required to have panic-button devices. Members said they remain concerned about underreporting of harassment in the hospitality industry and expressed willingness to continue working on the issue before the next legislative session.
