CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 127-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2016

RE:    S.B. No. 2077

       S.D. 1

       H.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2077, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SEPARATION BENEFITS,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Authorize a severance benefit or special retirement benefit to an employee who is separated from service due to the transfer of management and operations of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation Maui Regional System and who elects to separate from service when the employee's position is identified for abolishment or when the employee is directly affected by a reduction-in-force or workforce restructuring plan; provided certain requirements are satisfied; and

     (2)  Require the State to pay, on behalf of certain Hawaii Health Systems Corporation retirees, a percentage of the base Medicare or non-Medicare monthly contribution to the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund and one-half of the monthly contributions for the employee-beneficiary with dependent beneficiaries upon the death of the employee.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that public employees who are displaced through privatization or the closure of a state or county facility frequently face excessive economic hardship.  Displaced employees may have only a few years of creditable service or be close to retirement but still need additional years of service.  Implementation of this measure addresses the complexity of employees who are at different life stages and will decrease economic hardship associated with layoffs due to the transfer of management and operations of the Maui Regional System.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by making technical amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2077, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2077, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Co-Chair	________________________________ GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair
____________________________ SYLVIA LUKE, Co-Chair	________________________________ JILL N. TOKUDA, Co-Chair