STAND. COM. REP. NO. 536

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 841

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 Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 841, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Repeal statutory language prohibiting retirants from being rehired in teacher shortage areas or hard-to-fill positions within twelve calendar months of leaving employment with the State or a county;

(2) Prohibit rehired retirants from receiving additional employment benefits; and

(3) Require the Department of Education to establish procedures to identify teacher shortage areas and hard-to-fill positions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi State Teachers Association. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of the Attorney General. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education and Employees' Retirement System.

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 the workforce by ensuring their retirement benefits are not disrupted or lost while they occupy certain positions in the Department of Education.

Your Committee has amended this measure accordingly by:

(1) Changing the waiting period that retirants may be rehired from twelve calendar months of leaving employment with the State or a county to six calendar months; and

(2) 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 Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 841, 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. 841, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

JACKSON D. SAYAMA, Chair