Report Title:

Retirement Benefits; Rehired Government Retirees

 

Description:

Permits state and county governments to rehire retired employees as permanent employees without affecting the rehired retirees' retirement benefits.

 


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1818

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT


 

 

relating to government employees.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The purpose of this Act is to allow state and county governments to rehire retired employees as permanent workers in critical-to-fill or labor shortage positions, without affecting the rehired retirees' retirement benefits.

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 88, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§88-    Reemployment of state and county retirees.  (a)  Appointing authorities in the state and county government may employ a retired state or county government employee who is receiving retirement benefits under this chapter for critical-to-fill or labor shortage positions.  A retiree subject to this section shall be recruited and selected for civil service positions according to civil service laws.  The director of human resources development, for employees hired by the state executive branch, the director of human resources of the judiciary, for employees hired by the judiciary, or the respective chief human resources management executive for the respective counties, for employees hired by a county, shall certify that the retiree was hired in accordance with applicable civil service laws.  To qualify for full-time employment, the retiree shall be retired from a state or county government position for at least one calendar year prior to reemployment.

     (b)  Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a retired state or county government employee who is rehired by the state or county government under this section:

     (1)  Shall not earn retirement service credit, contribute to the system, or gain additional system benefits as a result of the retiree's subsequent employment with the state or a county; and

     (2)  Shall continue to receive the employee's regular retirement benefits without penalty.

     (c)  This section shall not preclude a retiree from returning to work and relinquishing the employee's retirement benefits to earn additional service credit and gain additional retirement benefits for a future retirement as may be allowed by this chapter.

     (d)  For the purposes of this section:

     "Retired state or county employee" means any former employee of the state or any of its branches, including the judiciary, or of a respective county who is classified by the system as a retiree.

     "State or county government" means the state or any of its branches, including the judiciary, or any of the respective counties."

     SECTION 3.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

 

INTRODUCED BY:

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