Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Military Affairs and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing, to which was referred H.B. No. 2934 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds to renovate existing Kalaeloa structures into shelters for homeless veterans.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Defense Office of Veterans Services, the Department of Defense Advisory Board on Veterans Services, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, US VETS-Hawaii, and three individuals.

Your Committees find that over 250,000 veterans are homeless across the nation on any given night, that one third of the U.S. male homeless population is made up of veterans, and that there are already veterans from the Iraqi incursion of 2003 that have become homeless since returning home to Hawaii. Your Committees further find that working with organizations like US VETS-Hawaii, which can access federal funds to provide veteran social services, shall relieve some of the financial burden on the State, leaving more state services available to others in need.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Education and Military Affairs and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2934, and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.