HONOLULU – The House Committee on Labor and Public Employment this week indefinitely deferred a House Republican Caucus bill that would have returned an unspecified amount to the ERS fund to reduce its unfunded liability.
Rep. Alex Sonson, (D, District 35 - Pearl City, Waipahu) chair of the committee, said that he has no intention "at this time" of having the bill voted on in committee.
If funded, the bill would have begun the process of strengthening the Employee Retirement System, and further securing retirement benefits for public workers.
This bill was a good faith attempt to start returning the money the legislature took out of the ERS.
This came despite written testimony from the Employee Retirement System's Administrator, David Shimabukuro stating that, "Since the State appears to be headed into a period of possible budget surpluses, the Actuary believes that it is entirely appropriate for the State to use some of it surpluses to help reduce the unfunded liability that past legislative action helped to create."
Additionally, the Hawaii Government Employee Association and Hawaii State Teacher's Association submitted testimony in support of the bill (see attached).
In 2002, the State of Hawaii's Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO) filed a lawsuit over the state legislature's withholding of contributions to the ERS's pension fund. The ERS itself joined the suit in November 2002.
Rep. Kymberly Pine is a Republican representing the House District 43 - Ewa Beach, Iroquois Point, Puuloa
