STAND. COM. REP. NO.344

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 1699

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 1699 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide deputy sheriffs, hired prior to July 1, 2003, the option of converting their membership in the Employees' Retirement System (ERS) from class C to the same class A beneficiary group as police officers, firefighters, and other health and safety personnel; provided that all deputy sheriffs hired subsequent to June 30, 2003, are designated as class A members.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Public Safety, the Hawaii Government Employees Association, and a deputy sheriff.

Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Department of Budget and Finance.

Comments on the measure were submitted by the ERS that indicated that its actuary will be working to determine the cost impact of this measure, and that such information will be provided to the Committee when it becomes available.

Your Committee finds that police officers, firefighters, and other health and safety personnel receive a retirement allowance of two and one-half per cent of the employee's average final compensation for each year of service and are allowed to retire after twenty-five years of service, regardless of age, without incurring an actuarially-reduced pension.

Your Committee determines that deputy sheriffs perform their duties under physically demanding, hazardous, and potentially life-threatening conditions. Your Committee also finds that these duties and working conditions are similar in function and degree of peril as that of other law enforcement and safety officers.

Accordingly, your Committee determines that the provision of further benefits, as provided to other public safety and law enforcement officers, is necessary to compensate and ensure the retention and recruitment of qualified deputy sheriffs.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1699 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor,

____________________________

BRIAN KANNO, Chair