STAND. COM. REP. NO.  689

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   H.B. No. 275

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 275, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE VI, SECTION 3, OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII AUTHORIZING THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE STATE SUPREME COURT TO APPOINT RETIRED JUDGES TO SERVE AS EMERITUS JUDGES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to make available to the Judiciary, valuable resources for providing timely and fair resolution of cases.  Specifically, this bill proposes an amendment to the Hawaii State Constitution to authorize the Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court to appoint judges who have retired as emeritus judges, permitting them to serve as temporary judges in courts no higher than the court level that they reached prior to retirement and for terms not to exceed three months per appointment.

 

     The Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu and the Employees' Retirement System testified in opposition to this bill.  The Judiciary provided comments.

 

     Your Committee notes that "judges" as used in this measure is contemplated to include "justices" as may be applicable.


     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 275, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair