Honorable Calvin K. Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 111 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to support our military families by creating a special fund within the state treasury to be known as the Hawaii Military Family Relief Special Fund (Special Fund) to be used to provide emergency economic relief to families of members of the Hawaii National Guard or United States military reserves who reside in Hawaii and who suffer economic hardship due to the deployment out of Hawaii of one or more family members on active military service.

Moneys for the Special Fund will be collected through an income check-off authorization on individual state income tax returns and through other donations and grants received by the state Department of Defense (DOD).

The DOD, Honolulu Fire Department, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense - Hawaii Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, and The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii testified in support of this bill. The Department of Taxation and Tax Foundation of Hawaii submitted comments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 111 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.