RELATING TO REIMBURSEMENT OF PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES.

HB163

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

163

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to REIMBURSEMENT of public officers and employees
.

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

����
SECTION
1
.
�
Section 78-32, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended to read as follows:

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"
[
[
]�78-32[
]
]
�
Payment of approved travel costs for public
officers and employees.
�
(a)
�
This section shall apply to all approved
travel costs incurred by an officer or employee of the State or a county in
connection with the official business of the respective jurisdiction.

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(b)
�
Subject to subsection (d), the State and the
counties may pay approved travel costs directly to:

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(1)
�
The vendor providing the goods or
services involved; [
or
]

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(2)
�
The officer or employee for whom the
approved travel costs are to be paid, by way of a cash advance [
prior to
]

before
the date of purchase[
, unless the officer or employee
affirmatively agrees to loan the State or a county the money for the travel
costs and be reimbursed after the officer or employee pays for the travel
costs.
]
; or

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(3)
�
The officer or employee when the
officer or employee affirmatively agrees to loan the State or a county the
money for the travel costs and be reimbursed after the officer or employee pays
for the travel costs.

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(c)
�
This section shall not be construed as
precluding the reimbursement of approved travel costs to an officer or employee
upon completion of travel for any costs that for any reason were not paid by
the State or the county, as applicable, in accordance with subsection (b).

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(d)
�
As pertains to the officer or employee
incurring approved travel costs, whenever there is a conflict between a
collective bargaining agreement and this section, the terms of the collective
bargaining agreement shall prevail.

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(e)
�
For the purposes of this section,
"approved travel costs" means any determinable costs of travel for
official state or county business approved by the respective jurisdiction and
supported by a written invoice.
�
The term
includes the costs of transportation to and from a destination point, between
destination points, or within a destination point; event registration fees; per
diem allowances; and any other necessary costs related to the travel.

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(f)
�
An employer shall not take adverse employment
actions against an officer or employee who does not affirmatively agree to loan
the State or a county the money for the travel costs and be reimbursed after
the officer or employee pays for the travel costs.

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(g)
�

Whenever an officer or employee affirmatively agrees to loan the State
or a county the money for travel costs pursuant to subsection (b), the State or
county shall reimburse the officer or employee within thirty calendar days
after the officer or employee requests reimbursement for the travel costs;
provided that if the State or a county is unable to reimburse the officer or
employee within thirty calendar days, the State or a county shall pay interest
of per cent of the total amount owed to the officer
or employee until the loan is fully reimbursed.
�

Interest shall be compounded every thirty days.
"

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SECTION 2.
�

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

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SECTION 3.
�

This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Reimbursement;
Public Employees; Travel Costs; Interest Owed

Description:

Requires
the State or a county to reimburse an officer or employee within thirty
calendar days of a request for reimbursement for travel costs that the officer
or employee loaned to the State or a county.
�

Requires the State or a county to pay a percentage of interest on the
total amount owed to an officer or employee until the loan is fully reimbursed.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.