Conference committees approve multiple conference drafts; internship program and classification review among measures adopted

Conference committees for the Hawaii Legislature on April 25, 2025, adopted a series of conference drafts, approving appropriations and policy provisions that affect state hiring, internships and retirement program administration.

The most substantive items approved included HB430 HD2 SD2 (internships), which the conferees adopted as a conference draft that includes an appropriation of $1,800,000 targeted to the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) for positions tied to the program; the CD references 15 full‑time staff positions for DLIR, requires DLIR to be able to contract with eligible employers or registered apprenticeship programs to provide on‑the‑job training, requires collaboration with the Department of Human Services (as referenced in the transcript: Department of Human Resources Development) for placement of interns in executive branch departments and agencies, and provides that the State shall be responsible to employers for purposes of workers' compensation coverage for students or recent graduates participating in on‑the‑job training subject to certain limitations. The CD sets an effective date of July 1, 2025.

A second substantive measure adopted was Senate Bill 15‑67 SD1 HD1 (classification and compensation review). The CD requires a comprehensive review of the classification and compensation systems for civil service positions under the relevant jurisdiction, to be completed by October 31, 2026, and…