§269-2  Public utilities commission; number,
appointment of commissioners, qualifications; compensation; persons having
interest in public utilities.  (a)  There shall be a public utilities
commission of three members, to be called commissioners, and who shall be
appointed in the manner prescribed in section 26-34, except as otherwise
provided in this section.  All members shall be appointed for terms of six
years each, except that the terms of the members first appointed shall be for
two, four, and six years, respectively, as designated by the governor at the
time of appointment.  The governor shall designate a member to be chairperson
of the commission.  Each member shall hold office until the member's successor
is appointed and qualified.  Section 26-34 shall not apply insofar as it
relates to the number of terms and consecutive number of years a member can
serve on the commission; provided that no member shall serve more than twelve
consecutive years.



In appointing commissioners, the governor shall
select persons who have had experience in accounting, business, engineering,
government, finance, law, or other similar fields.  The commissioners shall
devote full time to their duties as members of the commission and no
commissioner shall hold any other public office or other employment during the
commissioner's term of office.  No person owning any stock or bonds of any
public utility corporation, or having any interest in, or deriving any
remuneration from, any public utility shall be appointed a commissioner.



(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, and each of the other
commissioners shall be paid a salary equal to ninety-five per cent of the
chairperson's salary.  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.



The commission is placed within the department
of budget and finance for administrative purposes. [L 1913, c 89, §1; am L
1915, c 170, §1; am L 1917, c 165, §1; am L 1919, c 88, §1; am L 1921, c 127,
§1; RL 1925, §2189; am L 1933, c 141, §1; RL 1935, §7941; RL 1945, §4702; am L
1951, c 213, §1; RL 1955, §104-2; am L Sp 1959 2d, c 1, §5; am imp L 1967, c
80, §1; HRS §269-2; am L 1972, c 118, §1; am L 1976, c 165, §1; am L 1982, c
129, §8; gen ch 1985; am L 1986, c 128, §7; am L 1989, c 329, §5; am L 1990, c
140, §5; am L 2002, c 148, §24; am L 2005, c 22, §10 and c 226, §7]



 



Cross References



 



  Administration, see §26-8.



  Commissions, generally, see §26-34.



 



Case Notes



 



  Cited:  32 H. 127, 129.