CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 124-04

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.B. No. 3018

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

C.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 3018, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PENSION AND RETIREMENT SYSTEMS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to allow an eligible member of the Employees' Retirement System who suffers from a service-related disability while serving as a police officer to receive a retirement allowance equal to two and one-half percent of the member's average final compensation for each year of credited service as a police officer.

Your Committee on Conference finds that Act 205, Session Laws of Hawaii 2002, provided a firefighter with at least ten years of credited service as a firefighter, who continues employment in public service other than as a firefighter after suffering a service-related disability, the benefit of receiving a retirement allowance of two and one-half per cent of the member's average final compensation. However, under the current law, a police officer who suffers a service-related disability and continues employment in public service in a capacity other than as a police officer is entitled to receive a retirement allowance calculated at only two percent of the member's average final compensation multiplied by the total number of years of credited service. Your Committee on Conference further finds that like firefighters, police officers perform functions vital to the protection of our communities while facing dangerous and stressful situations on a daily basis. Those police officers who fall victim to service-related disabilities should be recognized for their previous years of dedicated service and should be duly compensated for such dedication upon retirement, should they remain in public service and be eligible to receive retirement benefits.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by making its provisions effective on July 1, 2004, rather than July 1, 2010.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3018, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3018, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Co-Chair

____________________________

BRIAN KANNO, Co-Chair

____________________________

DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Co-Chair

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair