Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 986, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to extend Employees' Retirement System death benefits to a deceased member's surviving dependents who are full-time students and between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four.

Currently, a deceased Employees' Retirement System member's children under the age of eighteen are the only dependents eligible for death benefits. This bill extends such benefits to a deceased Employees' Retirement System member's dependents who are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four; provided that the dependents are full-time students.

Your Committee concurs with your Committee on Labor that the families of deceased retirement system members are often faced with financial hardship due to the loss of income attributable to the deceased member. Assisting dependents to earn a college education will not only directly benefit the member family, but will also further the educational objectives of the State to support higher education. Your Committee also notes that the Social Security Administration provides similar financial support to dependents (of social security recipients) pursuing a college degree.

Your Committee has amended the bill by changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, for purposes of continuing discussion on this matter and by making technical amendments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 986, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 986, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.