STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1429

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 645
                                        S.D. 2




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B.
No. 645, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERANS RIGHTS AND
     BENEFITS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to provide an alternative to the
disbursement of burial grant funds for World War II Filipino
veterans.

     Your Committee finds that a World War II Filipino veteran
who dies after June 30, 1994, and who is, at the time of the
veteran's death, a United States citizen and a Hawaii resident,
is entitled to receive a burial grant from the Office of
Veterans' Services to pay for the cost of providing funeral and
burial services for the deceased veteran and transporting the
remains of the deceased veteran to the Philippines.

     However, in order to qualify for this burial grant, the
Filipino veteran's survivor or an interested party must produce
an itemized paid invoice showing the specific services rendered
on behalf of the deceased veteran.  Because of the tremendous
upfront costs associated with funeral and burial services, and
transportation to the Philippines, some World War II Filipino
veterans, including the families and friends of these veterans,

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1429
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cannot afford to pay for these services in advance.  Because of
these financial constraints, the bodies of some deceased veterans
have had to "sit on ice" for weeks until the deceased veteran's
survivor or interested parties could raise the necessary funds to
pay the mortuary for funeral and other related services.

     Your Committee finds that this bill seeks to correct this
injustice to World War II Filipino veterans by requiring the
Office of Veterans' Services, at the request of a deceased
Filipino veteran's survivor or an interested party, to receive,
review, and approve requests for direct payments to a mortuary or
crematory for providing funeral and burial services, and for
transporting the veteran's remains to the Philippines, upon the
submission of an invoice reflecting that the services will be
satisfactorily performed on behalf of the deceased World War II
Filipino veteran.

     To facilitate further discussion on the funding necessary to
carry out the purposes of this measure, your Committee has
amended this bill by:

     (1)  Adding a new section appropriating $1 in fiscal year
          1999-2000 for the purposes of this Act to be expended
          by the Office of Veterans' Services; and

     (2)  Amending the effective date section to specify that the
          appropriation section is to take effect on July 1,
          1999.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
645, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third
Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 645, S.D. 2.


 
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                                 Respectfully submitted on behalf
                                 of the members of the Committee
                                 on Ways and Means,



                                 ________________________________
                                 CAROL FUKUNAGA, Co-Chair



                                 ________________________________
                                 ANDREW LEVIN, Co-Chair

 
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