STAND. COM. REP. NO.494

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 62

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Labor and Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 62 entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow a faculty member of the University of Hawaii (University) with multiple part-time faculty appointments to meet eligibility requirements for membership in the Employees' Retirement System (ERS).

This measure also exempts faculty and lecturers employed at the University who hold multiple part-time appointments which together aggregate to at least one half of a full-time equivalent position from provisions allowing the ERS board of trustees to deny membership to part-time or temporary employees.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the University of Hawaii. Testimony in support of the intent of this measure was submitted by the ERS and the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

Your Committees find that the University has judiciously refrained from full-time commitments unless the determination of long-term need has been adequately justified. Your Committees also find that given the fluctuating nature of student enrollment, faculty workload issues, unanticipated absences, and the temporal nature of research funding, it is the practice of the University to employ faculty, lecturers, and administrative, professional, and technical employees in multiple appointments or positions as need dictates to maximize the utilization of the employees.

Your Committees determine that the retirement benefits of University employees and retirees should be safeguarded, as there is currently no provision authorizing the aggregation of multiple appointments or positions. Additionally, your Committees believe that University administrative, professional, and technical employees should also be allowed to establish ERS membership through the aggregation of multiple part-time appointments or positions.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure as follows:

(1) By allowing present and future University lecturers and administrative, professional, and technical employees to qualify for membership in the Employees' Retirement System on the basis of aggregated multiple part-time appointments or positions;

(2) By allowing past and present University lecturers and administrative, professional, and technical employees to retain the membership benefits for which the University reported them to be eligible prior to the effective date of this Act;

(3) By exempting University administrative, professional, and technical employees who hold multiple part-time appointments or positions which together aggregate to at least one-half of a full-time equivalent position from provisions allowing the ERS board of trustees to deny membership to part-time or temporary employees; and

(4) By amending the language of the measure for purpose of clarity and style.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor and Education that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 62, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 62, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Labor and Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

____________________________

BRIAN KANNO, Chair