Bill Text: HI SB2839 | 2016 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund (EUTF); Dependent-beneficiary; Collective Bargaining
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2016-04-28 - Conference committee meeting to reconvene on 04-29-16 9:30AM in conference room 325. [SB2839 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2016-SB2839-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2839 |
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TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO THE HAWAII EMPLOYER-UNION HEALTH BENEFITS TRUST FUND.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the Hawaii employer-union health benefits trust fund offers health benefits to the children of state and county employees and retirees. Due to the current construction of chapter 87A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, when an employee or retiree passes away, the employee's or retiree's surviving spouse's children that are born after the employee's or retiree's death are eligible to participate in benefits plans offered by the fund. However, the legislature finds that a child born or legally adopted after an employee's or retiree's death who is not the natural child of the deceased employee or retiree should not be eligible to participate in fund benefits plans because the child is not the child of the state or county employee or retiree.
The legislature further finds that the definition of "dependent-beneficiary" should be amended to be consistent with the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which prohibits restricting health insurance coverage to only unmarried dependents and denying health insurance coverage to married dependents.
The purpose of this Act is to amend the definition of "dependent-beneficiary" contained in chapter 87A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to clarify eligibility of children for participation in fund benefit plans and to bring the definition of "dependent-beneficiary" into conformance with the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.
SECTION 2. Section 87A-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending the definition of "dependent-beneficiary" to read as follows:
""Dependent-beneficiary" means an employee-beneficiary's:
(1) Spouse;
(2) [Unmarried child]
Child deemed eligible by the board, including a legally adopted child, stepchild,
foster child, or recognized natural child who lives with the employee-beneficiary[;],
but excluding a child born or legally adopted more than ten months after the death
of an employee killed in the performance of duty, born or legally adopted more
than ten months after the death of an active employee who was eligible to retire
on the date of death, or born or legally adopted more than ten months after the
date of death of a retired employee-beneficiary; and
(3) Unmarried child regardless of age who is incapable of self-support because of a mental or physical incapacity, which existed prior to the unmarried child's reaching the age of nineteen years."
SECTION 3. This Act does not affect the rights that accrued before the effective date of this Act.
SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2016.
Report Title:
Hawaii Employer-union Health Benefits Trust Fund; Dependent-beneficiary
Description:
Amends the definition of "dependent-beneficiary" as used in chapter 87A, HRS. (SD1)
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
