STAND. COM. REP. NO. 448

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1536

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Economic Development and Tourism and Labor and Technology, to which was referred S.B. No. 1536 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII TOURISM AUTHORITY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal the exemptions of the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority from the State's Employees' Retirement System.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority.

Your Committees find that exempting certain public employment positions from the Employees' Retirement System can contribute to inequity within the public service and the underfunding of the System. Removing these exemptions ensures that all state employees, regardless of position, contribute to and benefit from the System equally. This measure addresses this issue by removing the exemptions for the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Your Committees have amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Economic Development and Tourism and Labor and Technology that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1536, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1536, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Economic Development and Tourism and Labor and Technology,

________________________________ HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair

________________________________ LYNN DECOITE, Chair