STAND. COM. REP. NO. 48

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 841

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 Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 841 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RETIRED TEACHERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize a retirant to be rehired as a teacher or administrator in difficult-to-fill positions identified by the Department of Education;

(2) Require retirants rehired as teachers or administrators in teacher shortage areas or in difficult-to-fill positions to be paid at least the minimum salary for a teacher with equivalent experience and qualifications;

(3) Prohibit retirants rehired as teachers or administrators in teacher shortage areas or in difficult-to-fill positions from receiving additional employment benefits; and

(4) Require the Department of Education to adopt rules to identify teacher shortage areas and difficult-to-fill positions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that the State has been experiencing a shortage in teachers and administrators for difficult-to-fill positions under the Department of Education, making it very challenging to provide a quality education for Hawaii's students. Your Committee believes that retirants are an asset that can be used to take on difficult-to-fill positions and positions in teacher shortage areas.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Repealing statutory language prohibiting retirants to be rehired as teachers or administrators within twelve calendar months of leaving employment with the State or a county;

(2) Deleting language which would have required retirants rehired as teachers or administrators to be paid at least the minimum salary for a teacher with equivalent experience and qualifications;

(3) Clarifying that a retirant may be rehired as a teacher or an administrator in a hard-to-fill position, rather than difficult-to-fill position, identified by the Department of Education;

(4) Specifying that the Department of Education shall adopt rules to identify teacher shortage areas and hard-to-fill positions;

(5) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Labor, should it deliberate on this measure, to examine the prohibition on retirants rehired as a teacher or an administrator from receiving additional employment benefits afforded to public service employees under chapter 78, Hawaii Revised Statutes, as required by this measure.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 841, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 841, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Labor.

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

____________________________

JUSTIN H. WOODSON, Chair