HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	145
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS TO PRIORITIZE CLEAR, CONSISTENT, and accessible COMMUNICATION WITH UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT APPLICANTS.

 

 

 

        WHEREAS, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has severely damaged Hawaii's economy, causing record levels of unemployment; and

 

        WHEREAS, in 2020, the State experienced a net loss of approximately one hundred thousand jobs, the highest rate of per-capita job loss in the country; and

 

        WHEREAS, unemployed residents have been forced to seek help through Unemployment Insurance, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, and other state and federal compensation programs; and

 

        WHEREAS, the antiquated and limited technology used by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations has caused significant delays in processing the high volume of benefit applications; and

 

        WHEREAS, many applicants have reported that communicating with the Department has been difficult and frustrating, with e-mails and telephone calls going unanswered; and

 

        WHEREAS, anxious applicants should be able to communicate with the Department to check on the status of their cases, ask questions, or update documents; now, therefore,

 

        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is urged to prioritize clear, consistent, and accessible communication with all unemployment benefit applicants; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is urged to ensure that all Department telephone lines and e-mail addresses are functioning and that the Department's contact information is readily accessible to all applicants; and

 

        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Director of Labor and Industrial Relations.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

DLIR; Unemployment Benefits; Communication