STAND. COM. REP. 3435

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: S.C.R. No. 119

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 119 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION RELATING TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE 2004 JUDICIAL SALARY COMMISSION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to adopt a legislative response to the judicial salary recommendations of the 2004 Judicial Salary Commission.

Specifically, the concurrent resolution sets forth the Judicial Salary Commission's salary recommendations, effective July, 2005:

    1. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court - $140,000;
    2. The Associate Justices of the Supreme Court - $135,000;
    3. The Chief Judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals - $130,000;
    4. The Associate Judges of the Intermediate Court of Appeals - $125,000;
    5. The Judges of the Circuit Courts - $121,600;
    6. The Judges of the District and District Family Courts and Per Diem Judges - $114,600;
    7. The appointed Administrative Director - $105,000; and
    8. The appointed Deputy Administrative Director - $100,000.

The measure expresses the Legislature's belief that allowing the Commission's recommendations on judicial salaries to become effective is not in the overall public interest. In addition, the concurrent resolution requests the Commission to reconvene in November 2004 to consider the Legislature's concerns and submit a report that includes new judicial salary recommendations to the Twenty-Third Legislature of the Regular Session of 2005.

Your Committee recognizes that the Judicial Salary Commission members held a number of meetings and received a great deal of information in connection with their recommendations. Your Committee believes that the Commission's efforts were thorough and considered a wealth of material. It is not disputed that an increase in judicial salaries is desirable; however, it is the Committee's belief that the State's economic condition cannot support the recommended salary increases at this time. We support the concurrent resolution's request for the Judicial Salary Commission members to reconvene and present new salary recommendations that have taken into consideration legislative concerns expressed in the measure.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this measure to:

    1. Recognize the efforts of the members of the Judicial Salary Commission, commending them for their thorough, thoughtful consideration of all material presented to them;
    2. Recognize the broad-based support for judicial salary increases;
    3. Request the Commission to consider not including an escalator clause as part of their new judicial salary recommendations that result from their reconvening in November, 2004; and

(4) Make a few technical nonsubstantive amendments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 119, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 119, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair