RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, acquiring and retaining well-trained employees contributes to the efficiency and effectiveness of government; and

WHEREAS, the Emergency Medical Services System (EMSS) is unique in that the State, through its Emergency Medical Services and Injury Control Branch of the Department of Health, maintains operational oversight and regulatory and medical control of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) through its contractual agreements with the American Medical Response, the Fire Department of the County of Hawaii, and the City and County of Honolulu (C&C); and

WHEREAS, unlike services provided by firefighters, police officers, and water safety personnel, the State, and not the counties, pay for EMS services provided by various public and private providers statewide; and

WHEREAS, due in large part to the uniqueness of EMSS and the complexity of contractual arrangements with various private and public sector EMS providers, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are not able to retire after 25 years of service regardless of age (the "25 and out" benefit); and

WHEREAS, fire departments, police departments, water safety departments, and other agencies at the State, county, and federal level, also retain EMTs; and

WHEREAS, EMT retention and recruitment has been a severe problem for the C&C, contributing to its lack of qualified personnel and resulting in exorbitant overtime costs--a cost borne by the State through its contracts; and

WHEREAS, enhancing the retirement benefits of EMTs may help improve the recruitment and retention problem, especially for the C&C; and

WHEREAS, according to the C&C, one problem contributing to this shortage is that the training of advanced level care EMTs at Kapiolani Community College (KCC) takes, on average, one and a-half years; and

WHEREAS, the C&C has stated that its policy has been to staff each ambulance with two advanced level EMTs per shift, even though only one advanced level EMT and one basic level EMT are required by the State to be on an advanced level care unit; and

WHEREAS, the question of attrition has never been adequately addressed by the C&C, resulting in confusion as to how many persons have reached, or are close to reaching, the requisite number of years needed for the "25 and out" benefit; and

WHEREAS, this number is crucial for determining the long-term effects of such a benefit on the health and safety of the public and the fiscal ramifications that such a benefit may have, on the state budget; and

WHEREAS, it is apparent that with the C&C already experiencing a shortage of about 20 advanced level EMTs and the length of time it takes for KCC to train advanced level EMTs, that any rate of attrition would seriously affect the overtime costs already being accrued; and

WHEREAS, questions have also been raised by the Employees' Retirement System (ERS) and the Department of Budget and Finance on the impact such a benefit will have on the ERS and its unfunded liability; and

WHEREAS, if the "25 and out" benefit was offered to EMTs on a statewide basis, it is unclear what the effects would be on the county budgets, the State budget, and EMTs who are part of other services, such as police departments, fire departments, private contractors, water safety departments, and other public safety agencies who retain personnel who are licensed EMTs; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the Senate concurring, that the Auditor, in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Employees' Retirement System, is requested to study whether EMTs should be allowed to retire after 25 years of service; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study include the effects of giving EMTs the "25 and out" benefit on the safety of the general public, the budgets of the State and any affected agency, and the unfunded liability of the Employees' Retirement System; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is also requested, to study, in conjunction with the Department of Health, Emergency Medical Services and Injury Prevention Branch, whether offering such a retirement option would enhance the ability of the C&C to hire advanced level EMTs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2004; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor, the Director of Health, and the Administrator of the Employees' Retirement System.

Report Title:

Requesting auditor to perform a study, in conjunction with the Departments of Health and Budget and Finance, and the Employees' Retirement System, to determine the affects of allowing emergency medical technicians to retire after 25 years of service.