Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Labor and Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 1905 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to support our citizen-soldiers in the United States Armed Forces Reserves and the National Guard by establishing that if the active military pay of an employee of the State or one of its political subdivisions is lower than the employee's nonmilitary pay from the public employer, then the public employer must pay the employee the difference between the two while the employee is serving on active military duty, provided that such duty lasts 30 days or longer.

The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii and the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association supported this bill. The Department of Human Resources Development and the Department of Human Resources of the City and County of Honolulu opposed the measure. The Department of Budget and Finance submitted comments.

Your Committees find that to send reservists and National Guardsmen into harm's way while expecting them to suffer a sharp drop in pay is unduly onerous and highly unfair. Rather, they should be provided as much support as possible so that they can focus on accomplishing their mission without the need to worry about matters back at home.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Labor and Public Employment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1905 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.