STAND. COM. REP. NO.1126-02

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 2478

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2478 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE TRUSTEES OF 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) to participate in and receive the same retirement benefits as other state-elected officials.

OHA, Employees' Retirement System, and a concerned citizen testified in support of this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying that:

(1) Any trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in service on July 1, 2002, may become a member upon the trustee's election, in accordance with section 88-43, Hawaii Revised Statutes, by October 1, 2002;

(2) Any trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs elected or appointed after July 1, 2002, may become a member upon the trustee's election, in accordance with section 88-43, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(3) Any former trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs who is a class C member on July 1, 2002, may elect to enter class A membership or remain a class C member by October 1, 2002;

(4) Any former trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, who served during the period of July 1, 1993, through June 30, 2002, who becomes a member on or after July 1, 2002, may elect to become a class A or class C member within 30 days of entering or re-entering service;

(5) Any service as a trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs during the period of July 1, 1993, through July 1, 2002, if claimed by the member, shall be credited in the member's class at the time the service is acquired; provided that membership service shall be credited in accordance with sections 88-59 and 88-272;

(6) Any former trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs who retired from service prior to July 1, 2002, shall not be entitled to claim membership service as a trustee during the period July 1, 1993, through June 30, 2002; and

(7) Service rendered as a trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs during the period of July 1, 1993, through June 30, 2002, constitutes membership service for the retirement system.

Your Committee has amended this bill by changing the effective date to July 1, 2010, to facilitate further discussion. Other technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for consistency and style.

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 S.B. No. 2478, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2478, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

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

 

____________________________

DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Chair