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2025 Legislative Session
When the legislative session starts in January, HGEA combs through the thousands of introduced bills to track those that may impact members. Using our legislative priorities as a guide, we determine lobbying strategy and which bills to support or oppose. We're your voice for labor at the capitol.
The state’s 2025 legislative session was somewhat overshadowed by the political and economic chaos trickling down from the federal government. Through it all, HGEA held strong – pushing for pro-labor bills and fighting against bad bills that would’ve taken away worker rights. Here’s a quick rundown of our successes:
Major Wins
- Appropriation Bills to Fund New Contracts: HB1028/1029/1030/1032/1034/1035/1038
Various cost item bills were passed to fund collective bargaining expenses from 2025-2027, which includes the new contract salary increases for state employees in Units 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 and 13 and their excluded counterparts - Government Employee Housing: HB1298/SB1235
Establishes a new program and funding for government employee housing - Duty to Defend: HB166/SB336
Requires the state to defend professionally licensed or certified state employees from civil lawsuits if they were operating within their scope of work and not negligent - Interest Arbitrator: HB162/SB337
Expands the pool of qualified interest arbitrators
Bad Bills We Defeated
- Bills Exempting Employees from Civil Service:
- Department of Health: HB1121/SB1440
- Hawaii Emergency Management Agency: HB1059/SB1378
- State Historic Preservation Program: HB1144/SB1463
- Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund: HB1368/SB1586
Amends composition of the EUTF board of directors (loss of two labor seats) - Privatization
Legislative Priorities
Your State Committee on Political Action, chaired by Vice President and Unit 3 Director Jon Gasper, knows that more must be done to recruit and retain government employees. After careful review and deliberation, they recommended the following, which was approved by the Board of Directors as the organization’s 2025 Legislative Priorities:
- Recruit and retain a strong government workforce
Address pay equity, attract the next generation of employees, and develop benefits for a 21st century workforce. - Ensure funding of vital services for our community
Actively seek ways to generate additional state and county revenues to preserve government programs, especially in light of the recent income tax cuts. - Protect the right to organize, oppose civil service exemptions, and advance collective bargaining
Ensure civil service protections under Chapter 76, HRS and expand collective bargaining rights under Chapter 89, HRS. - Oppose privatization
Services provided by government employees should be protected. - Protect retirement benefits for current and future retirees
Promises made to employees upon hire should be kept.
Historical Success
HGEA's history of legislative accomplishments includes:
- Five-day work week (1941)
- Funeral leave (1955)
- Unlimited sick leave accumulation (1959)
- 40-hour work week (1959)
- Equal pay for equal work (1961)
- Health Fund dental benefits (1965)
- Retirement credit for unused sick leave (1975)
- Staggered work hours (1977)
- Deferred compensation plan (1981)
- Fully paid children's dental and group life insurance (1991)
- Final and binding arbitration for HGEA units (1995)
- Creation of Unit 14 (2013) and Unit 15 (2021)