STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1170

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 214

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

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

(1) Allow a retirant to be employed without reenrollment in the Employees' Retirement System and without loss or interruption of benefits provided under the System or the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund if the retirant is employed as a school resource officer or investigator identified by the Department of Law Enforcement or the Department of the Attorney General, respectively, as a labor shortage or difficult‑to-fill position, subject to certain conditions; and

(2) Require the Director of Human Resources of the appropriate state jurisdiction or the human resources management chief executive of each county to include in their annual reports to the Legislature details on the employment of retirants as school resource officers or investigators.

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

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Employees' Retirement System and Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that school resource officers and investigators are critical to the protection of educational institutions and safety of the public. The Department of Law Enforcement and Department of the Attorney General, however, currently face staffing shortages that make filling these specialized positions difficult. This measure provides a practical solution to the staffing shortages, safeguarding public safety by authorizing the two Departments to rehire qualified retired professionals who possess the experience, training, and institutional knowledge necessary to immediately succeed in these roles.

Your Committee acknowledges the concerns raised in the testimony of the Department of the Attorney General that "school resource officer" is not an official position in the Department of Law Enforcement, but rather, the common name for law enforcement officers stationed at public schools to serve as resource officers. Therefore, this measure needs to be amended to address this issue.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that this measure applies to retirants who are rehired as a law enforcement officer stationed at a public school as a resource officer;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion;

(3) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

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

Your Committee notes the concerns expressed by the Department of Law Enforcement that the Department is facing challenges filling not only critical school resource officer positions, but also, critical investigator positions and receiving authorization to hire qualified retirants as investigators would help to mitigate staffing shortages for those positions. Your Committee finds that this issue raises concerns that merit further consideration and respectfully requests that subsequent Committees to which this measure is referred examine the matter.

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

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

________________________________

HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair