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. 171, H.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to support officers and employees of the State who are called to active duty in the armed forces and serve in a hostile fire zone by compensating them with the difference between their gross monthly state pay and their gross monthly military pay, if the state pay exceeds the military pay.

The State Department of Defense and Department of Human Resources Development testified in support of this bill.

Your Committee recognizes that many officers and employees of the State serve their country in the Hawaii National Guard, and the military reserves. Many of these units have been activated by presidential executive order to serve in hostile combat zones. Your Committee finds that compensating these individuals the difference between their non-military and military income is a small price to pay for the great sacrifices that they make.

After careful consideration, your Committee has amended this measure by:

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. 171, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 171, H.D. 2.