STAND. COM. REP. 799

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 507

H.D. 3

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 507, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to enable a licensed Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) employed with the City and County of Honolulu's Emergency Services Department (C&C) to retire after 25 years of service, regardless of the EMT's age.

The Honolulu Paramedic Association, several paramedics, and others testified in support of this measure. The Department of Health and a concerned paramedic testified in support of the intent of this measure. The Department of Budget and Finance (B&F) and a number of concerned citizens testified in opposition to this bill. The Employees' Retirement System (ERS) commented on this measure.

Your Committee recognizes that EMTs are often placed in physically and emotionally demanding situations similar to that of other public safety personnel. However, your Committee has some concerns regarding this measure.

According to the C&C, it takes the Kapiolani Community College (KCC) approximately one and a-half years to train an advanced level care paramedic. Currently, KCC trains, on average, five mobile intensive care technicians per year. This graduation rate has severely impacted the C&C's ability to hire additional paramedics and reduce its shortfall of trained personnel.

Therefore, due to this low annual turnout of qualified and properly trained paramedics, it is apparent that although the C&C assured the Committee on Finance that attrition would not be a factor if this bill passed, there may be additional costs down the road. Even if a few EMTs were to retire because of this measure, costs to provide services will probably increase through growing overtime costs, affecting the state budget.

Moreover, B&F and the ERS Administrator expressed concerns regarding the cost impact on employers and on the ERS' unfunded liability.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2010.

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. 507, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 507, H.D. 3.

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

 

____________________________

DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Chair