STAND. COM. REP. NO. 696

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 1183

H.D. 2

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1183, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ALLOWANCE ON SERVICE RETIREMENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to include certain law enforcement administrators and employees of the Department of Law Enforcement as class A members of the pension and retirement systems and provides guidance for the computation of retirement benefits similar to police officers.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Resources Development and Department of Law Enforcement. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance; and Employees' Retirement System.

Your Committee finds that this measure acknowledges the critical role of Department of Law Enforcement personnel by providing them with retirement benefits commensurate with their law enforcement duties and responsibilities, similar to those currently afforded to county police officers. This measure establishes appropriate contribution rates and provides clear guidance for the computation of retirement benefits for Department of Law Enforcement administrators and employees.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting a preamble to note the purposes of the measure, which are notwithstanding the moratorium on benefit enhancements;

(2) Deleting language that would have amended the definition of "law enforcement investigations staff investigators";

(3) Deleting the term "department of law enforcement investigators" throughout the measure and replacing it with the defined term "law enforcement investigations staff investigators", where appropriate;

(4) Amending the percentage of compensation that the Director of Law Enforcement, deputy directors of the Department of Law Enforcement, the Sheriff, and Sheriff Division investigators must contribute to the annuity savings fund;

(5) Clarifying the language regarding years of credited service for the Director of Law Enforcement, deputy directors of the Department of Law Enforcement, the Sheriff, and Sheriff Division investigators as it relates to the allowance on service retirement;

(6) Specifically establishing the employer contributions for normal cost and accrued liability for the Director of Law Enforcement, deputy directors of the Department of Law Enforcement, law enforcement investigations staff investigators, the Sheriff, and Sheriff Division investigators; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1183, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1183, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair