Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 783 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow emergency medical technicians to retire without penalty after accruing twenty-five years of credited service, regardless of age upon retirement.

Testimony in support of this measure, was submitted by the the Department of Health, the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, the Honolulu Paramedic Association, twenty-one emergency medical technicians, and two private citizens.

Testimony in opposition of this measure, was submitted by the Department of Budget and Finance.

The Employees' Retirement System submitted comments on the measure.

Your Committee finds that under existing law, emergency medical technicians are the only public safety personnel who perform hazardous, stressful, and physically demanding duties, not eligible to retire after twenty-five years of service without penalty, regardless of age upon retirement.

Your Committee also finds that the work performed by emergency medical technicians routinely requires exposure to dangerous, violent, and life-threatening situations while also requiring the provision of dedicated service to the emergency medical care and transportation to the public in need. Your Committee believes that emergency medical technicians should be allowed to retire with at least twenty-five years of credit service, as the last group of public safety employees to be provided this benefit.

Your Committee, however, is concerned with the broad definition of "emergency medical technician" contained in the measure as received. Consequently, your Committee has amended the measure to limit this benefit to those employees who are licensed to provide emergency medical services to reflect this concern.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 783, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 783, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.