HB 841 Hawaii House · 2025 Regular Session

RELATING TO RETIRED TEACHERS.

Summary

Amends the break in service requirement for retirants to six months before they can be rehired as teachers or administrators in teacher shortage areas or in hard-to-fill positions. Prohibits rehired retirants from receiving additional employment benefits. Directs the Department of Education to adopt rules to identify teacher shortage areas and hard-to-fill positions. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD2)

Issues: ✓ Education

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Last action Feb 13, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

HB841_HD1 → HB841_HD2 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Hawaii's retired teacher reemployment rules to reduce the break-in-service requirement from twelve to six months for rehiring in shortage areas, while adding new funding requirements for charter schools and clarifying that rehired retirees lose certain active employee benefits. The changes make it easier for retired teachers to return to work in hard-to-fill positions while ensuring pension funds are properly funded and preventing double-dipping of benefits.

Scope change

The bill expands eligibility for reemployment by shortening the waiting period and adds charter schools to the list of entities that must contribute to pension funds when rehiring retired teachers.

ELIGIBILITY

Reduced the break-in-service requirement from twelve to six months for retired teachers to be rehired in teacher shortage areas or hard-to-fill positions.

Clarified the timing of when agreements for return to work are prohibited, changing language from 'prior to' to 'before' retirement in some contexts.

FISCAL

Added requirement that charter schools must contribute to the pension accumulation fund when rehiring retired teachers, matching the existing requirement for the Department of Education.

REQUIREMENT

Added explicit provision that rehired retirees are not eligible for benefits typically afforded to active employees under Chapter 78.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 13, 2025

Committee

Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN as amended in HD 2 with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Kitagawa, Ward excused (3).

lower

Feb 13, 2025

Committee

Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 536) as amended in HD 2, recommending referral to FIN.

lower

Feb 11, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on LAB recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 6 Ayes: Representative(s) Sayama, Lee, M., Garrett, Kapela, Kong, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 0 Excused: none.

lower

Feb 3, 2025

Committee

Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 48) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to LAB.

lower

Jan 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on EDN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 11 Ayes: Representative(s) Woodson, La Chica, Amato, Evslin, Garrett, Kapela, Kila, Olds, Sayama, Muraoka, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and Excused: none.

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Committee

Referred to EDN, LAB, FIN, referral sheet 3

lower

Jan 23, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

16 primary · 0 co-sponsors