STAND. COM. REP. 323
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2003
RE: H.B. No. 317
H.D. 2
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2003
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Labor and Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 317, H.D. 1, 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 or administrative, professional, or technical employee 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 faculty, lecturers, or administrative, professional, or technical staff employed at UH who hold multiple part-time appointments which together aggregate to at least one-half full-time equivalent position to become ERS members.
UH testified in support of the measure. The ERS Legislative Committee testified in support of the intent of the measure. The Department of Budget and Finance testified in opposition.
Currently, many faculty and lecturers have multiple part-time appointments. Fluctuating student enrollments, faculty workload issues, and temporary research funding contribute to a higher than normal number of part-time employees. In lieu of hiring full-time faculty and lecturers, UH shares the expertise of a faculty member or lecturer between colleges via multiple appointments.
Although UH has had a long-standing practice of reporting to the ERS membership the eligibility of its faculty and lecturers on the basis of the aggregation of multiple UH appointments, your Committee has concerns on whether this benefit is protected statutorily. Your Committee also has concerns regarding the effect of expanding aggregation to part-time administrative, professional, and technical employees of UH and the impact on other part-time appointments for public sector employees.
Accordingly, this measure has been amended by:
(1) Limiting the aggregation of multiple part-time appointments to meet eligibility requirements for ERS benefits to faculty members and lecturer positions; and
(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity, conformity, and style.
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 H.B. No. 317, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance, in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 317, H.D. 2.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor and Public Employment,
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____________________________ MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair |