(a) Each jurisdiction shall establish a merit appeals board that shall have exclusive authority to hear and decide appeals relating to matters set forth in section 76-14 concerning the civil service of the jurisdiction.

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 76-47

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Appellate: About appeals; an appellate court has the power to review the judgement of another lower court or tribunal.
  • Appointing authority: means a department head or designee having the power to make appointments or changes in the status of employees. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 76-11
  • Civil service: includes all positions within a jurisdiction that are not exempted by § 46-33, 76-16, or 76-77, or by other law and must be filled through civil service recruitment procedures based on merit. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 76-11
  • Civil service employee: means an employee who has met all requirements for membership in the civil service under § 76-27. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 76-11
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • county: includes the city and county of Honolulu. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 1-22
  • Director: means the head of the central personnel agency for a jurisdiction regardless of title, whether it is the director of human resources development, director of personnel, director of personnel services, or personnel director. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 76-11
  • Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Jurisdiction: means the State, the city and county of Honolulu, the county of Hawaii, the county of Maui, the county of Kauai, the judiciary, the department of education, the University of Hawaii, and the Hawaii health systems corporation. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 76-11
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Merit appeals board: means a jurisdiction's appellate body for purposes of section 76-14 regardless of whether it is named merit appeals board, civil service commission, or appeals board. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 76-11
  • Position: means a specific job requiring the full or part-time employment of one person. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 76-11
(b) Members of the merit appeals board shall be persons that can objectively apply the merit principle to public employment. Other qualifications of board members and other matters pertaining to the establishment of the merit appeals board, whether composition of the board, manner of appointment, term of office, limitation on terms, chairperson, removal of members, and name for its merit appeals board, shall be left to the determination of each jurisdiction based on its own preferences and needs. A jurisdiction may continue to use its civil service commission or appeals board, with or without modification, as its merit appeals board to assume all of the functions and responsibilities under section 76-14; provided that the merit appeals board for the State shall be as provided in § 26-5.
(c) The merit appeals board shall adopt rules of practice and procedure consistent with section 76-14 and in accordance with chapter 91, except that, in the case of the judiciary and the Hawaii health systems corporation, the adoption, amendment, or repeal of rules shall be subject to the approval of their respective chief executives. The rules shall recognize that the merit appeals board shall sit as an appellate body and that matters of policy, methodology, and administration are left for determination by the director. The rules may provide for the sharing of specific expenses among the parties that are directly incurred as a result of an appeal as the merit appeals board deems would be equitable and appropriate, including but not limited to expenses for transcription costs or for services, including traveling and per diem costs, provided by persons other than the board members or permanent staff of the board. Official business of the merit appeals board shall be conducted in meetings open to the public, except as provided in chapter 92.
(d) Whenever the board determines that mediation may result in a satisfactory resolution of an appeal, may narrow the issues on appeal, or otherwise expedite a decision, the board may require the parties to submit the issues to mediation, which shall not be subject to chapter 92. Mediation may be provided by any member or members of the merit appeals board or by a public or nonprofit agency which offers mediation or similar services for resolving or narrowing differences among the parties.
(e) Any civil service employee, who is suspended, discharged, or demoted and who is not included in an appropriate bargaining unit under § 89-6, may appeal to the merit appeals board within twenty days after a final decision is made under the internal complaint procedures.

Upon the appeal, both the appealing employee and the appointing authority shall have the right to be heard publicly, present evidence and be represented by counsel, who shall have the right to examine and cross-examine witnesses. At the hearing technical rules of evidence shall not apply and the evidence shall be taken stenographically or recorded by machine. For the purpose of hearing the appeals fairly and expeditiously, the board may at any time appoint a competent and qualified disinterested person to act as its hearing officer. The hearing officer shall hear the matter in the same manner as if it were before the board and upon the conclusion of the hearing, shall report the hearing officer’s findings of fact and the hearing officer’s conclusions and recommendations based thereon to the board and to the employee. The board shall render the final decision in accordance with § 91-11.

If the board finds that the reasons for the action are not substantiated in any material respect, the board shall order that the employee be reinstated in the employee’s position, without loss of pay, but if the board finds that the reasons are substantiated or are only partially substantiated, the board shall sustain the action of the appointing authority, provided that the board may modify the action of the appointing authority if it finds the circumstances of the case so require and may thereupon order such disposition of the case as it may deem just.

The findings and decisions of the board shall be final on all appeals, unless an appeal is taken as provided in chapter 91.

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, when an appeal hearing is before a merit appeals board of a county or the city and county of Honolulu, the attorney general shall be counsel for the board and the county attorney or corporation counsel shall be counsel for the appointing authority. If, however, an appeal hearing is before the state merit appeals board, the attorney general shall be counsel for the appointing authority and the county attorney or corporation counsel of the county, including the city and county of Honolulu, in which the appeal hearing is being conducted shall be counsel for the state merit appeals board.

Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, when the decision and order of the merit appeals board of a county or the city and county of Honolulu, is appealed as provided in chapter 91, the attorney general shall be counsel for the board and the county attorney or corporation counsel shall be counsel for the appointing authority. When the decision and order of the state merit appeals board is appealed as provided in chapter 91, the attorney general shall be counsel for the appointing authority and the county attorney or corporation counsel of the county, including the city and county of Honolulu, in which the chapter 91 appeal is being conducted, shall be counsel for the state merit appeals board.

  Previous
Next  
 Part I Contents