RELATING TO RETIRED TEACHERS.

Education Labor

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: GARRETT, AMATO, GRANDINETTI, IWAMOTO, KAHALOA, KEOHOKAPU-LEE LOY, KILA, LAMOSAO, MARTEN, MATSUMOTO, MIYAKE, PERRUSO, REYES ODA, SOUZA, TAKAYAMA, TARNAS
Last action: 2025-12-08
Official status: Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The effective date listed as July 1, 3000 appears to be a placeholder or error.

Rules for Retired Teachers Rehiring

This bill changes the rules for retired teachers who want to return to work in teacher shortage areas or hard-to-fill positions, requiring a six-month break in service and prohibiting extra employment benefits.

What This Bill Does

Changes the break in service requirement from twelve months to six months for retired teachers rehired as teachers or administrators in teacher shortage areas or hard-to-fill positions.
Requires that rehired retired teachers receive at least the minimum salary for their experience and qualifications.
Prohibits rehired retired teachers from receiving additional employment benefits typically given to active employees.

Who It Names or Affects

Retired teachers who want to return to work in teaching or administrative roles in teacher shortage areas or hard-to-fill positions.
School districts and charter schools hiring retired teachers for difficult-to-fill positions.
The Department of Education, which must create rules to identify teacher shortage areas and hard-to-fill positions.

Terms To Know

Retirant: A person who has retired from a job but may be rehired under certain conditions.
Teacher Shortage Area: An area where there is a lack of qualified teachers, as identified by the Department of Education.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how to determine 'difficult-to-fill positions'.
It is unclear when and how the rules for identifying teacher shortage areas will be implemented.
The effective date listed (7/1/3000) appears to be a placeholder or error.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment allows retired teachers to be rehired in certain hard-to-fill positions without losing their retirement benefits, but they cannot receive additional employment benefits.

Retired teachers can now be rehired as teachers or administrators in areas with a shortage of educators or in hard-to-fill positions identified by the Department of Education.
The amendment removes restrictions on hiring retired teachers within twelve months after leaving state employment, provided no pre-retirement agreements exist for their return to work.
Employers must contribute to the pension fund based on the rehired teacher's compensation.

The exact details of how 'hard-to-fill positions' are defined and identified by the Department of Education remain unspecified in this amendment text.

HD2

Hawaii published version HD2

Plain English: This amendment changes the requirement that retired teachers must wait six months before they can be rehired in certain positions, and it also stops these rehired retirees from getting extra employment benefits.

Changes the waiting period for retired teachers to return as teachers or administrators in shortage areas or hard-to-fill positions from twelve months to six months.
Adds a provision that prohibits rehired retirants from receiving additional employment benefits typically given to active employees.

The amendment specifies an effective date of July 1, 3000, which seems unusual and may be a placeholder or error in the text.
Details on how the Department of Education will identify teacher shortage areas and hard-to-fill positions are not provided.

Bill History

2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-02-13 H
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).
2025-02-13 H
Reported from LAB (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 536) as amended in HD 2, recommending referral to FIN.
2025-02-11 H
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.
2025-02-07 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by LAB on Tuesday, 02-11-25 9:00AM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-02-03 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on LAB with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Ward excused (2).
2025-02-03 H
Reported from EDN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 48) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to LAB.
2025-01-28 H
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.
2025-01-24 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by EDN on Tuesday, 01-28-25 2:00PM in House conference room 309 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-01-23 H
Referred to EDN, LAB, FIN, referral sheet 3
2025-01-23 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2025-01-21 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO RETIRED TEACHERS.
DOE; Retirants; Benefits; Exemption; Teachers; Hard-to-Fill Positions
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)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB841

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

841

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

Relating
to Retired Teachers
.

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

����
SECTION
1.
�
Section 88-9, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:

����
"
(d)
�
A retirant may be employed without
reenrollment in the system and suffer no loss or interruption of benefits
provided by the system or under chapter 87A if the retirant is employed:

����
(1)
�
As an elective officer pursuant to
section 88-42.6(c) or as a member of the legislature pursuant to section
88-73(d);

����
(2)
�
As a juror or precinct official;

����
(3)
�
As a part-time or temporary employee
excluded from membership in the system pursuant to section 88-43, as a session
employee excluded from membership in the system pursuant to section 88-54.2, as
the president and chief executive officer of the Hawaii tourism authority
excluded from membership in the system pursuant to section 201B-2, or as any
other employee expressly excluded by law from membership in the system;
provided that:

���������
(A)
�
The retirant was not employed by the
State or a county during the six calendar months prior to the first day of
reemployment; and

���������
(B)
�
No agreement was entered into between
the State or a county and the retirant, prior to the retirement of the
retirant, for the return to work by the retirant after retirement;

����
(4)
�
In a position identified by the
appropriate jurisdiction as a labor shortage or difficult-to-fill position;
provided that:

���������
(A)
�
The retirant was not employed by the
State or a county during the twelve calendar months prior to the first day of
reemployment;

���������
(B)
�
No agreement was entered into between
the State or a county and the retirant, prior to the retirement of the
retirant, for the return to work by the retirant after retirement; and

���������
(C)
�
Each employer shall contribute to the
pension accumulation fund the required percentage of the rehired retirant's
compensation to amortize the system's unfunded actuarial accrued liability; or

����
(5)
�
As a teacher or an administrator in a
teacher shortage area
or difficult-to-fill position
identified by the
department of education or in a charter school or as a mentor for new classroom
teachers; provided that:

���������
(A)
�
The retirant was not employed by the
State or a county during the twelve calendar months [
prior to
]
before

the first day of reemployment;

���������
(B)
�
No agreement was entered into between
the State or a county and the retirant [
prior to
]
before
the
retirement of the retirant, for the return to work by the retirant after
retirement; [
and
]

���������
(C)
�
The department of education or charter
school shall contribute to the pension accumulation fund the required
percentage of the rehired retirant's compensation to amortize the system's
unfunded actuarial accrued liability[
.
]
;

���������
(D)
�
The retirant shall receive a salary
not less than the minimum salary for a teacher with equivalent experience and
qualifications; and

���������
(E)
�
The retirant shall not be eligible
for benefits typically afforded to active employees pursuant to chapter 78.
"

����
SECTION
2.
�
The department of education shall
adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to implement this
Act, including establishing procedures to identify teacher shortage areas and
difficult-to-fill positions.

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

����
SECTION
4.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DOE;
Retirants; Benefits; Exemption; Teachers; Difficult-to-Fill Positions

Description:

Requires
retirants rehired as teachers or administrators in teacher shortage areas or in
difficult-to-fill positions to be paid at least the minimum salary for their
experience and qualifications.
�
Prohibits
rehired retirants from receiving additional employment benefits.
�
Directs the Department of Education to adopt
rules to identify teacher shortage areas and difficult-to-fill positions.

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