Allows trustees of the office of Hawaiian affairs, who were in service on 07/01/02, with no fewer than 5 years of employees' retirement system membership service and who elected to become an employees' retirement system member prior to 10/01/02, to purchase their service credit pursuant to section 88-59, Hawaii Revised Statutes. (SD1)

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that due to an inconsistency in Act 183, Session Laws of Hawaii 2002, which was intended to extend the same retirement benefits to trustees of the office of Hawaiian affairs that are afforded to other elected salaried officials of the State, certain trustees of the office of Hawaiian affairs are unable to purchase prior service credit through a lump sum contribution. The purpose of this Act is to remedy this problem and to ensure consistency in the retirement benefits extended to trustees of the office of Hawaiian affairs. This Act is not intended to set a precedent for other members of the employees' retirement system and shall be construed only to rectify the inconsistency in Act 183.

SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, membership service may be credited pursuant to section 88-59, Hawaii Revised Statutes, for any trustee of the office of Hawaiian affairs with no fewer than five years of credited service who elected to become a member of the employees' retirement system under section 88-54.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as barring trustees of the office of Hawaiian affairs from acquiring service credit by any other method available to them under chapter 88, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.