REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT TO UNDERTAKE A COMPREHENSIVE STATEWIDE REVIEW OF CIVIL SERVICE CLASS SPECIFICATIONS, MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS, AND CLASSIFICATIONS AND DEVELOP RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A PHASED MODERNIZATION IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

SR138

THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

138

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING A COMPREHENSIVE OVERHAUL OF STATE CIVIL
SERVICE JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND CLASSIFICATIONS TO MODERNIZE THE WORKFORCE,
IMPROVE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION, AND EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL USE OF ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE AS A SUPPORT TOOL.

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WHEREAS,
the State of Hawaii relies on a strong, skilled, and adaptable civil service
workforce to deliver essential public services and to carry out the laws
enacted by the Legislature; and

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WHEREAS,
many state civil service job descriptions and classifications were developed
decades ago and no longer accurately reflect current job duties, required
skills, technological competencies, or modern workplace realities; and

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WHEREAS,
outdated or overly rigid job descriptions can impede recruitment, discourage
qualified applicants, contribute to prolonged vacancies, and reduce the State's
ability to compete with private-sector and other public-sector employers; and

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WHEREAS,
persistent recruitment and retention challenges across multiple departments
have raised concerns about workload strain, institutional knowledge loss, and
the long-term sustainability of state services; and

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WHEREAS,
a modernized civil service system should ensure that job classifications are
clear, accurate, equitable, and aligned with current labor market conditions,
emerging technologies, and evolving public service needs; and

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WHEREAS,
advances in artificial intelligence and related technologies present
opportunities to assist human expertise by reviewing, organizing, and analyzing
large volumes of job description data; identifying redundancies or
inconsistencies; and benchmarking classifications against comparable
jurisdictions; and

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WHEREAS,
any use of artificial intelligence in civil service reform must be transparent,
auditable, free from unlawful bias, and subject to meaningful human oversight
to ensure compliance with civil service merit principles, equal employment
opportunity laws, and collective bargaining obligations; and

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WHEREAS,
ensuring that state salaries are competitive and attractive to qualified
applicants requires a comprehensive assessment of existing compensation
structures relative to job duties, required qualifications, cost of living, and
comparable public-sector employers; now, therefore,

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BE
IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of
Hawaii, Regular Session of 2026, that the Legislature requests the Department
of Human Resources Development to undertake a comprehensive, statewide review
of civil service job descriptions and classifications; and

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BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this review is requested to include, but not be
limited to:

����
(1)
�
A systematic survey of existing civil service
job descriptions to determine whether they accurately reflect current duties,
responsibilities, required competencies, and working conditions;

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(2)
�
An evaluation of classification structures to
identify outdated classifications, unnecessary fragmentation, or opportunities
for consolidation and modernization;

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(3)
�
An assessment of salary ranges and
compensation structures for civil service positions, including an analysis of
whether current salaries are competitive and attractive to applicants when
compared to relevant public-sector and private-sector labor markets, taking
into account Hawaii's cost of living;

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(4)
�
The identification of positions experiencing
chronic vacancies or recruitment difficulties, and an analysis of whether job
description content, minimum qualification requirements, or compensation levels
are contributing factors;

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(5)
�
An exploration of the potential use of
artificial intelligence and data-analysis tools, under strict human
supervision, to assist in organizing, comparing, and analyzing job descriptions
and classification data, provided that such tools are not used to make final
determinations affecting individual employees; and

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(6)
�
Consultation with state departments,
employees, unions, and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that any proposed
changes respect collective bargaining agreements, civil service protections,
and workforce equity considerations; and

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BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Resources Development is
encouraged to develop recommendations for a phased implementation plan to
modernize civil service job descriptions and classifications, including any
statutory, administrative, or budgetary changes that may be necessary; and

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BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Resources Development is
requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the
Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular
Session of 2027; and

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BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to
the Governor and Director of Human Resources Development.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Department
of Human Resources Development; Civil Service; Job Descriptions; Job
Classifications