STAND

STAND. COM. REP. 36

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.B. No. 317

H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 317 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT SYSTEM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to:

(1) Allow a faculty member of the University of Hawaii (UH) with multiple part-time faculty appointments to meet eligibility requirements for membership in the Employees Retirement System (ERS); and

(2) Allow UH faculty or lecturers who hold multiple part-time appointments that when added together aggregate to at least one-half full-time equivalent position to be eligible for ERS membership.

The UH Professional Assembly and an individual submitted testimony in support of this bill. UH and The Hawaii Government Employees Association submitted testimony in support of the intent of this bill. ERS submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that it is common for UH to use faculty in multiple part-time appointments. These employees may perform the workload of a full-time faculty member, but may not receive the same retirement benefits due to their part-time status. This bill will allow these valuable employees to receive retirement benefits appropriate for their workload and length of tenure.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1) Making the bill applicable to administrative, professional, and technical employees of UH;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for purposes of style and clarity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 317, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 317, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Employment.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,

		____________________________ K. MARK TAKAI, Chair