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 S.B. No. 783, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow emergency medical technicians with at least twenty-five years of credited service to retire without penalty at any age.

At present, most state employees must reach at least age fifty-five if they seek to retire with a full service retirement allowance. If they retire before that age, their retirement benefit is reduced according to actuarial standards. Certain categories of state employees are exempt from this requirement, including police officers, firefighters, and corrections officers.

Your Committee finds that emergency medical technicians are highly trained, skilled personnel, who must work under stressful and demanding conditions, with the lives of others literally in their hands. For those reasons, your Committee finds it appropriate to give emergency medical technicians the same exemption from the age fifty-five requirement that it gives to these other vital workers, as long as they have twenty-five years of credited service.

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 S.B. No. 783, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.