STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2438

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 578

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 578, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GOVERNMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to allow a retirant to be employed without reenrollment in the Employees' Retirement System (ERS) and without loss or interruption of benefits provided by the ERS or under chapter 88, Hawaii Revised Statutes, if the retirant is employed as an investigator in a position identified by the Department of the Attorney General as a labor shortage or difficult-to-fill position, subject to certain conditions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from Employees' Retirement System.

Your Committee finds that the Department of the Attorney General has been experiencing difficulty in filling certain "investigator" positions that are critically important to the Department's law enforcement capability and objectives. Your Committee also finds that these positions may be filled and performed by retiree's, however doing so may have a detrimental impact on the retiree's benefits under the ERS. This measure will help expedite the process for bringing trained, experienced investigators back to the work force.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language that requires the Director of Human Resources of the appropriate state jurisdiction or the human resources management chief executive of each county to include in their annual reports to the Legislature, details on the employment of retirants as investigators pursuant to this measure;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor and Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 578, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 578, S.D. 2, and be referred to your Committees on Ways and Means and Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor and Technology,

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HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair