The chairmen of the state House and Senate Higher Education committees have introduced bills that would allow lawmakers to veto salaries of University of Hawaii executives who make twice as much or more than the governor.

Rep. Isaac Choy and Sen. Brian Taniguchi say executive salary levels at UH have been a cause for concern for years.

The university spends approximately $541 million a year on payroll. Salaries for its 220 or so executive and managerial employees make up 6 percent, or $33 million.

“The Legislature is constantly being told that there’s administrative bloat and that the university’s executive and managerial staff are overpaid,” said Choy (D, Manoa-Punahou-Moiliili). “That sentiment is out there as far as the public is concerned. This would give us an opportunity to visit amounts twice the governor’s salary.”

The governor’s pay, which is set by a salary commission, is $149,556, according to Gov. David Ige’s office. It will increase to $152,544 on July 1, under an approved salary increase.

At least seven UH executives earn more than twice the governor’s current salary, including the deans of UH Manoa’s medical school ($522,384), law school ($406,128) and business college ($384,120). UH President David Lassner is paid $375,000. In all, 32 executives earn a base salary above $200,000, following raises approved last fall.

House Bill 1685 and Senate Bill 2768 would subject proposed salaries for executive and managerial posts that are double the governor’s salary or higher to disapproval by the Legislature before taking effect, according to Choy, who said he might consider lowering the threshold amount.

“The proposed salary shall be subject to legislative disapproval by either two-thirds vote of the Senate or House of Representatives or by majority vote of both houses at the next occurring regular session after the salary proposal is made,” both bills state. “If disapproved by either two-thirds vote of the Senate or House of Representatives or by majority vote of both houses, the proposed salary shall not take effect.”

Under the state Constitution, the UH Board of Regents has “exclusive jurisdiction” over the university’s management and operations. But lawmakers also have “exclusive jurisdiction” to decide when a university issue is of such statewide concern that it can override the board.

“The university can play the autonomy card, but this reflects some kind of concern, generally,” Taniguchi (D, Makiki-Tantalus-Manoa) said. “Faculty salaries are subject to collective bargaining, and the rank and file also have a union, but for the administration, they have free reign over salaries. It creates a problem that we have to take a look at.”

UH officials say the university needs the flexibility to set competitive salaries to attract and retain top talent. They also contend that compensation for university executives is influenced by market trends and demand, unlike the governor’s salary.

“The University of Hawaii operates in a national and even international environment, and if we want to continue to attract top-quality talent, we need to pay the going price,” UH Board of Regents Chairman Randy Moore said. “Such a bill, if enacted and signed, would, I think, restrict the ability of the university to attract people who, in a competitive marketplace, can command a salary higher than twice the governor’s.”

Kalbert Young, UH’s chief financial officer, said salaries at or above $150,000 already require approval by the regents. The Legislature in 2013 imposed a requirement that the regents approve any salaries above the governor’s salary at the time, which was about $140,000. The board later adopted its own policy with a $150,000 trigger.

“These types of bills oversimplify the competitive hiring process in competitive industries,” said Young, a former state budget director. “If legislators are truly genuine in their rhetoric that they want a world-class university, this legislation artificially and arbitrarily does not take into account market rates or market forces for competitive candidates.”

When setting salary pay scales, Young said, UH looks at salaries at other institutions and national averages for specific fields of study and disciplines.

“The university has a policy not to pay above the top end of those peer groups,” he said. “That’s why most of the salaries end up closer to the average for peer institutions.”