STAND. COM. REP. NO. 347

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 577

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 577 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY ENTITLEMENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to ensure that military personnel, when called to active duty, are paid without delay at the same rate as their active duty counterparts, are entitled to basic allowance for housing, and receive service credit toward public pension and retirement.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the LGBT Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaii and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Defense, Department of Budget and Finance, and Employees' Retirement System.

Your Committee finds that military personnel are ordered to active duty in the State during times of disaster such as helping communities recover from tropical storms and flooding. Your Committee also finds that not all of these men and women who are called to active duty are paid in a timely manner or entitled to basic allowance for housing.

Your Committee further finds that military personnel, when ordered to active duty in the State, should be entitled to service credit, retirement if also a state or county employee, basic allowance for housing, and pay without delay so that serving the State during times of disaster is not to their detriment.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that when ordered to active duty in the State, military personnel may count this time toward retirement, if also a current state or county employee;

(2) Providing officers and warrant officers of the Army or Air National Guard who are ordered to active duty in the State with the benefit of basic allowance for housing and pay without delay;

(3) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 577, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 577, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

________________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair