CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO.138

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 631

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

C.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 631, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, entitled:

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

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 bill is to clarify and correct the language of various Employees' Retirement System (ERS) statutes and conform ERS statutes to current practices. Among other things, this bill:

(1) Requires the ERS to comply with federal income tax limits on compensation in determining ordinary death benefits;

(2) Specifies which appointed county positions qualify for contributory plan membership;

(3) Allows death benefits to be paid consistent with the employee's actual eligibility for those benefits;

(4) Allows the ERS to calculate a retiree's pension based on the benefit formula at the time of retirement rather than at the time of separation from service;

(5) Prohibits investigators of the prosecuting attorney and corrections officers not making an election to become a class C member from electing to become a class H member;

(6) Requires the counties to remit employer contributions to the ERS on a monthly basis rather than semiannually;

(7) Specifies that the cost to convert noncontributory plan service to hybrid plan service will be based on the member's age in full years and the member's basic rate of pay as of June 30, 2006; and

(8) Eliminates the deadline for claiming and purchasing hybrid plan membership service credit and allows the acquisition of qualifying service credit at any time prior to retirement to be consistent with current contributory plan procedures.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

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 H.B. No. 631, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 631, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________

BRIAN KANNO, Chair

____________________________

KIRK CALDWELL, Co-Chair

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair

____________________________

BOB NAKASONE, Co-Chair