STAND. COM. REP. NO. 537

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 214

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 214 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GOVERNMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish an additional category of retirants who may be employed without re-enrollment in the Employees' Retirement System and without loss or interruption of retirement benefits for positions that are recognized by the Department of Education or Department of the Attorney General as a labor shortage or difficult-to-fill position; and

(2) Require the Director of Human Resources of the appropriate state jurisdiction to include details on the employment of retirants as school resource officers or investigators in their annual report to the Legislature.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Department of Education; and Department of Law Enforcement.

Your Committee finds that the State is experiencing a labor shortage and has instituted various methods to fill vacancies with qualified candidates. Your Committee also finds that a successful method is to hire qualified and experienced retirees for certain positions. Your Committee believes that this measure incentivizes retirees to return to work by ensuring their retirement benefits are not disrupted or lost while they occupy certain labor shortage or difficult-to-fill positions.

Your Committee has amended this measure accordingly by:

(1) Changing the host department for school resource officers to the Department of Law Enforcement;

(2) Changing the break in service period for retirees covered by this measure from twelve months to six months; and

(3) Changing the defective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 214, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 214, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor,

____________________________

JACKSON D. SAYAMA, Chair