STAND. COM. REP. NO.  362-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2016

RE:   H.B. No. 2445

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 2445 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to ensure that a public employee whose position is privatized by an action of the State or a county remains eligible for continued participation in the pension benefits provided by the Employees' Retirement System.

The Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME, Local 152; United Public Workers, AFSCME, Local 656, and AFL-CIO; and several individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Budget and Finance testified in opposition to this measure.  The Board of Trustees of the Employees' Retirement System provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2091, to encourage further discussion.

     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. 2445, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2445, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair