Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor and Public Employment, to which was referred S.B. No. 3010, S.D. 2, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to enable individuals who:

to have a retirement allowance of 2.5 percent of the individual's average final compensation upon retirement.

The Hawaii State Firefighters Association, Honolulu Fire Department, State Fire Council, City and County of Honolulu Department of Human Resources, and Honolulu Police Department testified in support of this measure. The Employees' Retirement System commented on this measure.

Firefighters are in a dangerous profession, which brings them into contact with chemicals, smoke, and a number of pathogens on medical responses. Personal protective devices can only offer protection from these dangers to a limited extent. Exposure to these dangers may produce disabilities in firefighters that do not allow them to continue their work as a firefighter, but does not preclude them from performing any other government service to continue to serve their community.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor and Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3010, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.