STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1655

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 214

H.D. 1

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 214, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GOVERNMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the reemployment of a retirant of the Employees' Retirement System as a law enforcement officer stationed at public schools as a resource officer or as an investigator identified by the Department of the Attorney General as a labor shortage or difficult-to-fill position.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of the Attorney General, Department of Education, and County of Maui.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Employees' Retirement System of the State of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that many state and county departments are facing critical staffing shortages of skilled personnel for essential services. Your Committee believes that this measure will help to provide an immediate response to staffing shortages by allowing the reemployment of retirants in certain positions without those retirants suffering a loss in retirement benefits.

Your Committee recognizes that many school security officers possess deep knowledge of their communities and, with the proper training, have the potential to become more effective resource officers than retired law enforcement officers having no connection to the school or community. Your Committee respectfully requests that provisions supporting the training of school security officers to become resource officers or law enforcement officers be added to this measure as it moves forward in the legislative process.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Adding an authorization to rehire retirants for management positions excluded from collective bargaining for which a need for succession planning exists, or for which a labor shortage or difficult-to-fill designation has been declared; and

(2) Making the measure effective upon its approval.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 214, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 214, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair