REQUESTING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING TO INCREASE COMPENSATION FOR ADULT CORRECTIONS OFFICERS EMPLOYED BY THE STATE OF HAWAII'S DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION.

SR139

THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

139

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO PROVIDE SUPPLEMENTAL
FUNDING TO INCREASE COMPENSATION FOR ADULT CORRECTIONS OFFICERS EMPLOYED BY THE
STATE OF HAWAII'S DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION
.

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WHEREAS, the
State of Hawaii's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (Department) is
responsible for maintaining safe, secure, and humane correctional facilities
and for protecting the safety of staff, incarcerated individuals, and the
broader community; and

����
WHEREAS, adult
corrections officers are essential frontline public-safety professionals who
perform high-risk duties under challenging conditions, including staffing
shortages, mandatory overtime, and increased workplace violence; and

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WHEREAS, according
to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Annual Report, the adult
corrections officer vacancy rate has remained at approximately twenty-four
percent, even after aggressive recruitment efforts, which reflects a persistent
and severe staffing shortfall across the State of Hawaii's correctional
facilities; and

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WHEREAS, the
Annual Report further reflects that the Department has been required to rely on
emergency hires and repeated recruit classes to offset high attrition and
unfilled permanent positions, which demonstrates that recruitment alone has
been insufficient to stabilize the workforce without improved compensation and
retention incentives; and

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WHEREAS, low
pay relative to the cost of living in Hawaii, combined with the demanding and
dangerous nature of correctional work, contributes significantly to ongoing
attrition and difficulties attracting qualified applicants to adult corrections
officer positions; and

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WHEREAS, chronic
understaffing in correctional facilities increases safety risks, strains
existing staff, undermines rehabilitative programming, and threatens compliance
with constitutional and statutory standards of care; and

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WHEREAS, the federal government has recognized nationwide law enforcement
and public safety staffing crises and has, in recent years, provided
supplemental funding to states through public safety, justice assistance, and
workforce stabilization programs; and

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WHEREAS, targeted
federal assistance to support competitive compensation for state adult
corrections officers would directly advance public safety, reduce turnover, and
strengthen the State of Hawaii's correctional system without shifting the full
fiscal burden to state taxpayers; now, therefore,

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BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, that the federal government is respectfully requested
to:

����
(1)
�
Provide supplemental funding to increase
compensation for adult corrections officers employed by the State of Hawaii's
Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; and

����
(2)
�
Structure the federal funding to support
recruitment and long-term retention, including base pay adjustments,
differential pay, and other compensation mechanisms necessary to address
persistent vacancy and attrition rates; and

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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified
copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States,
Vice President of the United States, Speaker of the United States House of
Representatives, Majority and Minority Leaders of the United States Senate and
House of Representatives, and members of Hawaii's Congressional delegation.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Federal
Government; Funding; State Adult Corrections Officers