Informing the Legislature that on July 1, 2024, the Governor signed the following bill into law: SB2991 SD2 HD2 CD1 (ACT 143).

This bill directs the Hawaii Labor Relations Board to create specific rules for evaluating requests to form new collective bargaining units for public employees. Under the new process, employees or their representatives must petition the board to prove that a new unit is appropriate based on factors like shared duties, working conditions, and the impact on government efficiency. The legislation also explicitly prohibits creating any single bargaining unit that includes both professional and non-professional employees. To support this new administrative function, the bill appropriates $95,000 to hire one full-time staff attorney for the board.