Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Labor and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2977 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow deputy sheriffs to retire after twenty-five years of credited service, regardless of age.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

Comments on this measure were also submitted by the Employees' Retirement System.

Your Committees find that unlike similarly situated law enforcement and public safety officers, deputy sheriffs are individuals who possess full police powers, yet under the current law they are not eligible to retire after twenty-five years of service without penalty, regardless of age upon retirement. Your Committees also determine that deputy sheriffs engage in hazardous, stressful, and physically demanding activities, and are constantly exposed to similar threats and dangers encountered by other law enforcement and public safety officers. Therefore, your Committees determine that some level of parity with regards to the rights and benefits received should exist among these law enforcement and public safety officers who are exposed to similar hazards and perform similar duties.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2977, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2977, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.