Department of Human Resources Development

The Constitution of the State of Hawaii, Article XVI

Section [3.5].   There shall be a commission on salaries as provided by law, which shall review and recommend salaries for the justices and judges of all state courts, members of the legislature, department heads or executive officers of the executive departments and the deputies or assistants to department heads of the executive departments as provided by law, excluding the University of Hawaii and the department of education.  The commission shall also review and make recommendations for the salary of the administrative director of the State or equivalent position and the salary of the governor and the lieutenant governor.

Any salary established pursuant to this section shall not be decreased during a term of office, unless by general law applying to all salaried officers of the State.

Not later than the fortieth legislative day of the 2007 regular legislative session and every six years thereafter, the commission shall submit to the legislature its recommendations and then dissolve.

The recommended salaries submitted shall become effective as provided in the recommendation, unless the legislature disapproves the entire recommendation as a whole by adoption of a concurrent resolution prior to adjournment sine die of the legislative session in which the recommendation is submitted; provided that any change in salary which becomes effective shall not apply to the legislature to which the recommendation for the change in salary was submitted. [Add HB 1917 (2006) and election Nov 7, 2006]

HRS 26-56 Commission on Salaries

2024-25 Commission on Salaries

February 3, 2025 Meeting

• Public Notice and Agenda
• Recording of the meeting
• Meeting summary
• Board packet (none at this time)

January 30, 2025 Meeting

• Public Notice and Agenda
• Recording of the meeting
• Meeting summary
• Board packet
  • COS Draft Recommendation Presented by Commissioner Margery Bronster (Updated with Commission’s Tentative Recommendations from the 1/27/25 COS Meeting)
  • COS Draft Recommendation Presented by Commissioner Cathy Betts
  • Hawaii’s High Cost of Living Underscores Perennial Problem of Housing for Governor – Star Advertiser Article
• Written testimony

January 27, 2025 Meeting

• Public Notice and Agenda
• Recording of the meeting
• Meeting summary
• Board packet
  • COS Comparison of 10 states with FT Legislature Presented by Commissioner Wes Machida
  • COS Draft Recommendation Presented by Commissioner Margery Bronster
  • COS Draft Recommendation Presented by Commissioner Pankaj Bhanot
  • Draft Justification for Executive Salary Increases Presented by Commissioner Pankaj Bhanot
  • Draft Commission on Salaries Report Presented by Commissioner Colleen Hanabusa

January 16, 2025 Meeting

• Public Notice and Agenda
• Recording of the meeting
• Meeting summary
• Board packet
  • January 10, 2025 Council on Revenues Report
  • Difference Between Actual Salary and Cost of Living – Circuit Court Judges
  • Draft 2025 COS Objective, Data, Analysis, Recommendations
  • Draft Proposal of Salary Increases

January 8, 2025 Meeting

• Public Notice and Agenda
• Recording of the meeting
• Meeting summary
• Board packet
  • State Budget and Contract Salaries General Fund Request and Personnel Services
  • COS Projected Cost Impact on Increases in Salaries
  • 2022 Executive Comparison HI vs States (Revised)
  • Judicial Salaries since 1990 (Revised)
  • Links to Executive Branch Statutes
  • AG Response – Deferral of salary recommendations
  • HB117 SD1 2020 – Relating to State Funds
  • SB1350 CD1 2021 – Relating to State Government
  • HB117 Testimony – Senate Committee on Ways and Means
  • Office of Hawaiian Affairs Salary Commission Draft Report
  • AG Response – Regarding Constitutionality of Act 2, SLH 2020 & Act 14, SLH 2021
  • Cumulative and Average Increase by Position 1999-2024
  • Past COS Recommendations
  • Draft Evaluation of Requirements, Experience, Education, Scope of Work and Responsibilities for Hawaii Government Executive, Legislators, and Judges
  • Annual Salary Percentage Increases – 2007 through 2025 Based Upon Other COS 2025 Reference Materials
  • Judiciary Case Filings by Fiscal Year
  • Roles and Responsibilities of Chief Judges and Senior Family Judge

December 30, 2024 Meeting

• Public Notice and Agenda
• Recording of the meeting
• Meeting summary
• Board packet
  • Proposed New Criteria List
  • Number of Applicants for Judicial Office

December 19, 2024 Meeting

• Public Notice and Agenda
• Recording of the meeting
  • COS Meeting Part 1
  • COS Meeting Part 2
• Meeting summary
• Board packet
  • AG Opinion – Follow-up on legal parameters of the COS
  • HEC salary data of legal counsel
  • Increases by jurisdiction
  • Information on House members’ 2nd jobs
  • Judiciary Recruitment Data
  • Retirement Group & Class Codes and Social Security & Medicare Coverage
  • ERS Act 163 Benefits Comparison Chart
  • Website for ERS Resources and Publications

December 6, 2024 Meeting

• Public Notice and Agenda
• Recording of the meeting
  • COS Meeting Part 1
  • COS Meeting Part 2
  • COS Meeting Part 3
• Meeting summary
• Board packet
  • Legislature Comparison With County Councils
  • AG Opinion – Legal parameters of the COS
  • Judges Salaries & Rankings
  • 2024 Bar Statistics and Summaries

November 22, 2024 Meeting

• Public Notice and Agenda
• Recording of the meeting
• Meeting summary
• Board packet
  • Commission on Salaries Schedule
  • NCSL Salary, Additional Compensation
  • Executive, Judicial, & Legislative Salary History
  • Judicial Selection, 2022 CSG Survey, Book of States, US Census, Fringe Benefit Rates
  • Forbes Advisor July 2024 Data
  • Brain Drain & Income Standards
  • Judicial, B&F, DBEDT Slides, & Exec Vac Payout Info
• Written testimony

November 7, 2024 Meeting

• Public Notice and Agenda
• Recording of the meeting
• Meeting summary
• Board packet

Previous Commission on Salaries Reports and Recommendations