STAND. COM. REP. NO. 341
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2005
RE: H.B. No. 1758
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2005
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 1758 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to assist unemployed individuals receiving social security or railroad retirement pensions by providing that weekly unemployment benefits shall not be reduced as a result of the receipt of these pension payments.
The Hawaii State Teachers Association, AARP-Hawaii, and concerned individuals testified in support of this measure. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) supported the intent of this measure.
Your Committee finds that many older individuals continue to work. These individuals find themselves at a disadvantage if they suddenly are unemployed since their unemployment insurance (UI) compensation is reduced because they are receiving a pension. Many of these workers are often unaware that these much-needed benefits may not be available to them if they are receiving a pension.
However, your Committee notes that, as pointed out by DLIR, this measure only applies to government pension plans and that individuals with private pension plans will continue to have their UI benefits reduced accordingly. By eliminating the reduction in UI benefits to also apply to private pension plans, a larger retiree population would benefit.
Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Clarifying that a pension includes a governmental pension, private pension, retirement or retired pay, annuity, or other similar periodic payment under a plan maintained or contributed to by a base period or chargeable employer;
(2) Clarifying provisions for the reduction in benefits under specific circumstances for claims filed with an effective date prior to January 1, 2006, and those filed with an effective date beginning on or after January 1, 2006; and
(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1758, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1758, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,
____________________________ KIRK CALDWELL, Chair |
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