REQUESTING THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL TO RECOMMEND TO THE GOVERNOR, FOR INCLUSION IN THE STATE UNIFIED PLAN, A COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE WORKFORCE STRATEGY TO ENSURE THAT ALL PEOPLE OF THE STATE HAVE A PATHWAY TO A CAREER THAT ENABLES THEM TO LEARN, WORK, AND THRIVE IN THE STATE AND CONTRIBUTE TO A VIBRANT LOCAL ECONOMY GROUNDED IN COMMUNITY VALUES BY 2045.

HCR100

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

100

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Requesting the Workforce Development Council to recommend
to the Governor, for inclusion in the State Unified Plan, a comprehensive
statewide workforce strategy to ensure that all people of the State have a
pathway to a career that enables them to learn, work, and thrive in the State
and contribute to a vibrant local economy grounded in community values by 2045
.

����
WHEREAS, the
State is at a critical demographic and economic crossroads due to its high cost
of living and limited employment opportunities; and

����
WHEREAS, the results
of the 2025 Holomua Collective Affordability Survey, which polled over three
thousand two hundred local working residents, exemplify the widening gap
between local wages and the cost of living; and

����
WHEREAS, the
survey found that seventy-five percent of respondents said they will, or were
unsure if they will, relocate to a less expensive state in the coming years due
to increasing economic pressures, and that thirty-three percent of respondents
preparing to leave plan to relocate within five years; and

����
WHEREAS, in
2023, the Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed (ALICE) household
survival budget for a family of four in the State was $110,112, and forty-five
percent of households fell below that threshold; and

����
WHEREAS, in
addition to the significant portion of working individuals and families
currently struggling economically, the State's youth face a precarious future;
and

����
WHEREAS, the
Hawaii Workforce Funders Collaborative reports that nearly thirty percent of
the approximately one hundred seventy thousand young residents projected to
enter the State's workforce over the next decade will lack viable opportunities
to build a sustainable career in the State; and

����
WHEREAS, to
prevent a permanent loss of local talent, the State must bridge the gap between
education and employment by investing in robust career counseling
infrastructure and work‑based learning opportunities that connect
students to high‑quality, local employment opportunities in the State;
and

����
WHEREAS, efforts
by multiple state departments and agencies, nonprofit partners, and labor organizations
have made, and continue to make, significant foundational progress in
increasing workforce development opportunities for local working residents,
including through the adoption of the State Unified Plan by the Department of
Labor and Industrial Relations and the Workforce Development Council; and

����
WHEREAS, this
collaborative framework has begun to bring together education, industry, labor,
and social services to connect federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
(2014) funding with state resources; and

����
WHEREAS, achieving
the vision of a resilient, inclusive economy, however, requires transitioning
from a temporary collaborative effort in workforce development to a long‑term
comprehensive statewide strategy and goal; and

����
WHEREAS, successful
models in states such as Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, and Virginia demonstrate that
comprehensive workforce strategies anchored by a common, statewide goal are
essential for long-term alignment and accountability; and

����
WHEREAS, by
establishing clear metrics and a whole‑of‑government approach,
these states have integrated funding streams and established momentum through
data collection, sharing, and analysis; and

����
WHEREAS,
despite considerable effort and growth over the past decade, the State's
workforce development landscape lacks a common long-term strategy; and

����
WHEREAS, the
establishment of a common long-term strategy can provide the framework,
funding, and motivation for all stakeholders to move in concert toward a shared
definition of success, and will improve the State's talent pipelines in high‑demand,
high-wage occupations; now, therefore,

����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the
State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, the Senate concurring, that the
Workforce Development Council is requested to recommend to the Governor, for
inclusion in the State Unified Plan, a comprehensive statewide workforce
strategy to ensure that all people of the State have a pathway to a career that
enables them to learn, work, and thrive in the State and contribute to a
vibrant local economy grounded in community values by 2045; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the comprehensive statewide workforce strategy is requested to:

����
(1)
�
Serve as a long-term framework to unify state
and county workforce efforts under a common goal with aligned priorities; and

����
(2)
�
Be incorporated into, and guide, each State
Unified Plan and any modification thereof, regardless of the applicable
planning period; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the comprehensive statewide workforce strategy is requested to
include, at a minimum, specific plans to achieve, and metrics to evaluate,
progress in the following areas:

����
(1)
�
Increasing work-based learning infrastructure
and access, with focus on summer youth internship programs;

����
(2)
�
Increasing economic resilience and
opportunity;

����
(3)
�
Reducing underemployment and improving job
quality;

����
(4)
�
Expanding living-wage employment
opportunities;

����
(5)
�
Expanding industry-led sectoral partnerships;
and

����
(6)
�
Increasing job retention; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Workforce Development Council is requested to be responsible
for facilitating the alignment of workforce development efforts and programs administered
by state departments and agencies to achieve the goals established in the State
Unified Plan and recommended comprehensive statewide workforce strategy; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that all state departments and agencies are requested to assist the
Workforce Development Council by providing data and information necessary to
support periodic evaluation of the comprehensive statewide workforce strategy,
to the extent permitted by law; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the
Governor; Executive Director of the Workforce Development Council; Comptroller;
Chairperson of the Board of Agriculture and Biosecurity; Attorney General;
Director of Finance; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism;
Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Adjutant General; Chairperson of the
Board of Education; Superintendent of Education; Chairperson of the Hawaiian
Homes Commission; Director of Health; Director of Human Resources Development;
Director of Human Services; Director of Labor and Industrial Relations;
Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources; Director of Law
Enforcement; Director of Corrections and Rehabilitation; Director of Taxation;
Director of Transportation; and President of the University of Hawaii System.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
�

Hawaii
Workforce Development Council; State Unified Plan; Comprehensive Statewide
Workforce Strategy