STAND

STAND. COM. REP. 3259

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2004

RE: H.B. No. 1590

H.D. 2

S.D. 2

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1590, H.D. 2, 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 measure is to provide greater assistance to survivors of Filipino American veterans.

Specifically, this bill requires the Office of Veterans Services, at the request of a deceased World War II Filipino American veteran's survivor, or an interested person, to pay directly to a licensed mortuary or crematory the costs of funeral and burial services and the cost of transporting the remains to the Philippines.

Your Committee finds that a World War II Filipino American veteran who is at time of death a United States citizen, a resident of Hawaii, and who served honorably in the military, should be entitled to funeral and burial services paid by the State. These Filipinos are the long neglected "heroes" of the war. They put themselves in harm's way to fight for America when many were not even United States citizens. This measure represents a posthumous tribute to them.

Although your Committee supports the intent of the measure, your Committee finds that a substantially similar measure was enacted into law last year (Act 101, Session Laws of Hawaii 2003) and is codified as section 363-12, Hawaii Revised Statutes. The only substantive statutory difference between this measure and existing law is that this measure proposes a higher monetary disbursement ceiling ($3,000) than what is currently allowed under existing law ($2,500). This measure, if enacted as received by your Committee, with the exception of the higher monetary disbursement ceiling, would duplicate existing law.

In light of this finding, your Committee has amended the measure by:

(1) Deleting the findings and purpose section and the section of the measure that proposes to add a new section to Chapter 363, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(2) Adding a section that amends section 363-12(b), Hawaii Revised Statutes, by raising the disbursement ceiling for funerary or crematory services from $2,500 to $3,000 for each deceased veteran;

(3) Amending the appropriation section to only appropriate funds for the 2004-2005 fiscal year; and

(4) Amending the effective date of the measure from July 1, 2003, to July 1, 2004.

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. 1590, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1590, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

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

		____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair