Committee advances bill to expand state internship program into private sector

The Senate Committee on Labor and Technology voted Jan. 29 in Honolulu to pass Senate Bill 327, moving the state's on-the-job training and internship program toward inclusion of the private sector. The committee adopted several amendments, including wording changes requested by the Department of Education and limits on student work hours recommended by the University of Hawaii system.

Supporters said the change would create more internship opportunities statewide while some state agencies urged limits on administrative responsibilities. "Expanding the program to the private sector will give more students the opportunities and support they deserve, to remain in Hawaii," Department of Labor and Industrial Relations Director Jade Butay said in testimony.

The bill would authorize state funding for workplace training through on-the-job training contracts between the Department of Labor and employers or registered apprenticeship sponsors. Tammy Chan, deputy superintendent for the Department of Education, asked for a technical wording change to make the bill’s purpose read that internships develop experience for an occupation rather than guaranteeing proficiency; the committee accepted that amendment. Deborah Halbert, University of Hawaii vice president for academic strategy, asked the bill not to limit internships to students in their final year and to allow part-time internships for students who cannot work full time; the committee adopted UH’s requested change to permit work up to 20 hours per week while enrolled in two or more courses and up to 40 hours otherwise.

DHEARD (Department of Human Resources Development) expressed concern about the bill assigning the department responsibilities outside the executive branch. "We don't feel like it's in line with our mission to ... involve itself in placements within the private sector," DHEARD's testimony said; the committee recorded DHEARD's suggested clarifications and said some of those points would appear in the committee report. DHEARD staff also warned the committee that administering a statewide internship program would require substantial staffing and tracking resources to place interns, monitor employers and follow up after placements.

Committee members said they would include Department of Labor requested language inserting "private sector" into the program heading, add a reporting requirement to name private or public organizations where interns were placed, and accept DOE and UH clarifications. The panel set a defective date of July 1, 2050 to allow further technical review and placed a number of DHEARD and DBEDT concerns into the committee report.

Voting to adopt the committee recommendation to pass SB 327 with amendments were Chair Aquino and Senator Fevella; Senators Ihara and Moriwaki were recorded as excused. The recommendation was adopted.