HB 430 Summary

• Authorizes the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations to contract with private sector employers and registered apprenticeship programs to provide on-the-job training to eligible interns, with state reimbursement up to $20.00 per hour for wages and supervision costs.

• Establishes a state internship and workforce development program within the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations in collaboration with the Department of Human Resources Development to place interns in state executive branch departments and agencies.

• Sets eligibility requirements for interns including age 16 or older, Hawaii residency, current enrollment or recent graduation from high school or college, and minimum 2.5 GPA; includes requirements for employers such as minimum $20.00 per hour wages, mentor provision, and 50% cost-sharing for private sponsors.

• Expands workers' compensation coverage to include students and recent graduates performing paid or unpaid work in school-approved internship programs and the new on-the-job training program, with the State as the responsible employer.

• Appropriates $1,800,000 for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to the Department of Education for 90 full-time equivalent staff positions to support the internship programs; takes effect July 1, 2025.