Department of Human Services

County & University of Hawaii Committees on the Status of Women

In addition to proposing and advocating legislation that supports the advancement of women, the HSCSW focuses on specific issues during designated months.  Please check this site for scheduled events.

Agendas and Minutes

January – Sex Trafficking Awareness Day

March – Women’s History Month

April – Sexual Assault Awareness Month

May – National Women’s Health Week

July – National Association of Commissions for Women (NACW)

September – Women’s Health Month

October – Domestic Violence Awareness Month

Political and Leadership Resources

Applications for Hawaii Boards and Commissions
The Office of the Governor oversees more than 160 boards and commissions established by the state constitution, statutes or executive orders, providing an opportunity for a cross-section of Hawaii residents to offer vital input.  The Governor’s team is looking for exceptional individuals who are dedicated to continuing the State of Hawaii’s momentum toward a strong and sustainable economy, and are committed to investing in the people of Hawaii and our statewide community.

Ready to Run
Created by the Center for American Women and Politics to train women in candidates, Ready to Run™ is a non-partisan campaign training program to encourage women to run for elective office, position themselves for appointive office, work on a campaign, or get involved in public life in other ways. Central to the Ready to Run™ model is an innovative, comprehensive curriculum that incorporates the political culture and climate of the locale and uses state and local campaign experts to highlight the specifics of running in a particular state or region. The program demystifies the process of running for elected office, encourages more women to mount campaigns, and introduces them to elected and appointed leaders, campaign consultants, and party officials in their state to whom they can turn as they get ready to run. CAWP’s model curriculum covers fundraising, positioning oneself for elected office, navigating the political party structure, media training, the nuts and bolts of organizing a campaign, mobilizing voters, and crafting a message.

Center for American Women in Politics
The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is nationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about American women’s political participation. Its mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding about women’s participation in politics and government and to enhance women’s influence and leadership in public life.  CAWP’s education and outreach programs translate research findings into action, addressing women’s under-representation in political leadership with effective, imaginative programs serving a variety of audiences.

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Archival Information

Act 110 – Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act (Title IX)

Act 248 – Protection for Domestic Workers in Hawaiʻi
Act 248*, enacted in 2013, amends our state fair employment law to protect domestic workers against employment discrimination in terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, but not hiring and firing. Under the new law,  it is illegal for an employer to discriminate against a domestic employee in compensation or in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of race, sex, including gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, color, ancestry, disability, or marital status. Under this new statutory protection, employers of domestics can choose who they want to work in their home or residence, and can hire and fire for any reason.   *Act 248, 2013 Session, §§ 1-2, amending Hawai‘i Revised Statutes §§ 378-1 and 378-2

Act_206 – Protection for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survivors in the Workplace
In 2011, the state of Hawai‘i enacted Act 206 to protect the employment rights of victims of domestic and sexual violence by: (1) prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of domestic or sexual violence victim status under H.R.S. chapter 378, part I “Discriminatory Practices”; and (2) amending H.R.S. chapter 378, part VI, formerly titled “Victims Leave” and renamed “Victims Protections”, to add a sub-part requiring employers to make reasonable accommodations for employees who are victims of domestic or sexual violence. Act 206
took effect on January 1, 2012.

Survivors Not Criminals Law — supporting all people in recovery from prostitution, not just sex trafficking victims
The first and only law in the United States to allow any person convicted of prostitution to vacate the conviction, even if they are not a victim of sex trafficking. The defendant can vacate if not convicted of another offense under the Penal Code within three years of the prostitution offense. The law does not extend to buyers and pimps. “We support the decriminalization and destigmatization of prostituting people, but not the system itself or those doing the harm. A criminal record makes it difficult for women to transition into “above-ground employment” and a “life free of stigma,” according to the Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women.”

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TASK FORCES

1. Hawaii Home Birth Task Force

2. Micronesia Women’s Task Force

3. Housing Justice Task Force

4. Missing Murdered Native Hawaiian Women and Girls’ Task Force

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BOARDS AND COMMISSION

If interested in applying for a position as a Commissioner/Board Member, applications can be submitted through “Boards and Commissions” on the Governor’s page. The Governor’s office hopes to identify new members to fill vacancies at least by March 8^th, and no later than the Legislators’ deadline of March 30^th