STAND. COM. REP. 64

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 1304

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1304 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to allow trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), who claim service credit, to select either one of the two retirement and pension payment options.

OHA testified in support of this measure.

Act 183, enacted by the 2002 legislative session, allowed OHA trustees to participate in and receive the same benefits from the public retirement benefits programs in which other elected salaried officials of the State participate.

However, Act 183 did not specify how OHA trustees would be able to obtain credit for services rendered during the period from July 1, 1983, through July 1, 2002. The result is that trustees who were in office at the time Act 183 went into effect were adversely affected. Unless the trustees chose to seek election for another term of office, they would be unable to acquire full credit for their past service.

This measure corrects the inequity.

 

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1304 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Employment.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land Use, and Hawaiian Affairs,

 

____________________________

EZRA R. KANOHO, Chair