STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2086

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 2692
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No.
2692 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SALARIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill, as received by your Committee, is
to provide salary adjustments for appointed judiciary
administrative officers for fiscal years 1999-2000 and 2000-2001.

     Your Committee finds that the salaries of the administrative
director and the deputy administrative director of the courts
have not been adjusted in ten years.  During the same period, all
forty-nine states have increased their judiciary administrative
officers' level of compensation at least twice.  Your Committee
further finds that these appointed administrative officers are
significantly undercompensated when measured against their
responsibilities, experience, and qualifications.

     In addition, your Committee notes that there are judiciary
employees reporting directly to the administrative director and
deputy administrative director who have higher salaries because
they have received several salary increases through collective
bargaining agreements.  This disparity in income creates
potential morale problems and violates basic management
principles, since the workload demands placed upon these officers
go substantially beyond those of salaried employees.


 
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     Your Committee recognizes that the Judiciary is a separate
and co-equal branch of government and should, therefore, be
afforded greater independence regarding its administrative
structure and staffing.  Thus, your Committee believes that the
chief justice of the supreme court should be given the authority
to set the salary levels of the administrative officers of the
courts, provided that the salary increases are based upon
articulated criteria such as merit and other relevant factors.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the
Judiciary.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
measure by:

     (1)  Modifying the purpose section to reflect the amendments
          made to the bill;

     (2)  Providing that the chief justice may subsequently
          determine the salaries of the judiciary administrative
          officers if based upon merit and other relevant
          factors; and

     (3)  Making other technical, non-substantive changes for the
          purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
2692, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2692, S.D. 1, and
be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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