Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1879 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to better serve the state's veterans by appropriating funds for the Office of Veterans Services (OVS) of the state Department of Defense to publish the Hawaii Veterans' Newsletter (Newsletter).

OVS and a concerned individual testified in support of this bill.

Your Committee finds that OVS possesses only enough funding to publish the Newsletter until June 2006. Without the Newsletter, veterans from all branches of the military would lack important information regarding outreach services available to them, including medical and compensation benefits. Without additional funding, OVS will be unable to continue to provide this important informational resource for our veterans.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1879 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.