[§26-56]  Commission on salaries.  (a) Pursuant to article XVI, section 3.5, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii, there is established a commission on salaries within the department of humanresources development, for administrative purposes only.

The commission shall consist of seven membersof whom:

(1)  Two members shall be appointed by the governor;

(2)  Two members shall be appointed by the presidentof the senate;

(3)  Two members shall be appointed by the speaker ofthe house of representatives; and

(4)  One member shall be appointed by the chiefjustice of the supreme court.

Vacancies in these positions shall be filled inthe same manner.  The members of the commission shall serve withoutcompensation but shall be reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses,necessary for the performance of their duties.

(b)  The commission shall review and recommendan appropriate salary for the governor, lieutenant governor, members of thelegislature, justices and judges of all state courts, administrative directorof the State or an equivalent position, and department heads or executiveofficers and the deputies or assistants to the department heads of thedepartments of:

(1)  Accounting and general services;

(2)  Agriculture;

(3)  The attorney general;

(4)  Budget and finance;

(5)  Business, economic development, and tourism;

(6)  Commerce and consumer affairs;

(7)  Defense;

(8)  Hawaiian home lands;

(9)  Health;

(10)  Human resources development;

(11)  Human services;

(12)  Labor and industrial relations;

(13)  Land and natural resources;

(14)  Public safety;

(15)  Taxation; and

(16)  Transportation.

The commission shall not review the salary ofany position in the department of education or the University of Hawaii.

The commission may recommend different salariesfor department heads and executive officers and different salary ranges fordeputies or assistants to department heads; provided that the commission shallrecommend the same salary range for deputies or assistants to department headswithin the same department; provided further that the appointing official shallspecify the salary for a particular position within the applicable range.

The commission shall not recommend salarieslower than salary amounts recommended by prior commissions replaced by thissection.

(c)  The commission may seek assistance fromthe department of human resources development and any other agency inconducting its review, and all agencies shall fully cooperate with thecommission and provide any necessary information to the commission uponrequest.

(d)  The commission shall convene in the monthof November 2006, and every six years thereafter.  Not later than the fortiethlegislative day of the regular session of 2007, and every six years thereafter,the commission shall submit a report of its findings and its salaryrecommendations to the legislature, through the governor.  The commission mayinclude incremental increases that take effect prior to the convening of thenext salary commission.

The recommended salaries submitted by thecommission shall become effective July 1 of the next fiscal year unless thelegislature disapproves the recommended salaries submitted by the commissionthrough the adoption of a concurrent resolution, which shall be approved by a simplemajority of each house of the legislature, prior to adjournment sine die of thelegislative session in which the recommended salaries are submitted; providedthat any change in salary which becomes effective shall not apply to thelegislature to which the recommendation for the change in salary was submitted.

The governor shall include the salary amountsrecommended by the commission and approved by the legislature for employees ofthe executive branch in the executive budget.  If the salary amounts recommendedby the commission are disapproved by the legislature, the commission shallreconvene in the November next following the legislative disapproval to reviewthe legislature's reasons for disapproving its salary recommendation.  Thecommission may submit a report of its findings and submit a new salaryrecommendation to the legislature at the next regular session.  Thecommission's reconvening following a legislative disapproval shall not toll thesix-year cycle. [L 2006, c 299, §1]

 

Note

 

  Salary reduction for public officials until June 30, 2011.  L2009, c 85.