Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1050, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to require the Office of Veterans' Services to provide grants to pay for the cost of funeral, burial, or repatriation expenses for Filipino-American veterans of World War II.

Your Committee on Conference used the S.D. 2 version of this measure as a base, which provided for an unspecified appropriation to the Comptroller for the disbursement of grant funds. Your Committee on Conference incorporated several amendments into the S.D. 2 version.

First, your Committee on Conference amended the S.D. 2 version to authorize the Office of Veterans' Services (OVS), rather than the Comptroller, to disburse the funds for burial, funeral, or repatriation of remains.

Your Committee on Conference also amended the S.D. 2 version to establish specific eligibility criteria to determine whether the veteran was a Hawaii state resident at the time of death.

Your Committee on Conference also inserted the sum of $30,000 that has been allotted for this program this year.

Finally, your Committee on Conference made numerous technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of accuracy, clarity, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1050, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1050, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.