HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1362
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO THE SALARY OF the public utilities commissioners.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the State of Hawaii public utilities commission has an important role in serving the public by overseeing and regulating utilities to help ensure that utilities provide reliable service at fair and reasonable rates.  Commissioners play a key role in regulating utilities and keeping Hawaii on track to reach its goals to completely transfer to clean, renewable energy by 2045.  As nonrenewable resources are increasingly depleted, the commissioners' role in overseeing public utilities continues to expand.  In order to keep the high-caliber commissioners on the Hawaii public utilities commission and not lose them to the mainland where many states have higher wages for public utilities commissioners, Hawaii commissioners should receive a salary increase.

     The purpose of this Act is to raise the salaries of the public utilities commissioners to be commensurate with other states and to align the commissioners' salaries with the established pay structure of deputy attorney general positions.

     SECTION 2.  Section 269-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

     "(b)  Effective July 1, 2005, the chairperson of the commission shall be paid a salary [set at eighty-seven per cent of the salary of the director of human resources development,] equal to the highest pay tier of a supervising deputy attorney general of the department of the attorney general, and each of the other commissioners shall be paid a salary equal to [ninety-five per cent of the chairperson's salary.] the lowest pay tier of the first deputy attorney general of the department of the attorney general.  The commissioners shall be exempt from chapters 76 and 89 but shall be members of the state [[]employees'[]] retirement system and shall be eligible to receive the benefits of any state or federal employee benefit program generally applicable to officers and employees of the State, including those under chapter 87A."

     SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2019.

 

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

 

 

Report Title:

Public Utilities Commission; Commissioners; Salary Increase

 

Description:

Aligns the salary of the public utilities commission chair with the highest pay tier of a supervising deputy attorney general.  Aligns the salary of the other PUC commissioners with the lowest pay tier of the first deputy attorney general.

 

 

 

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