Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Education and Military Affairs and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 1830 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to offer military veterans who served in the Iraq or Afghanistan conflicts priority for housing developed under charter 201G, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.

Your Committees find that the state's guardsmen and reservists are being called to active duty with greater regularity. This increase has seriously affected recruiting and retention. This measure will assist the Hawaii National Guard by providing housing incentives to retain a force capable of meeting the needs of the State while responding to the needs of the nation.

Upon further consideration, your Committees have amended this measure by requiring the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii to amend its administrative rules to include Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans in their priority list of applicants for housing programs.

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 S.B. No. 1830, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1830, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.