Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2886 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to direct the Department of Education to establish a program to award high school diplomas to armed services veterans drafted during World War II, the Korean conflict, and the Vietnam War, as well as to those individuals whose schooling was interrupted due to wartime practices.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Office of Veterans Service, State of Hawaii Department of Defense; the Advisory Board on Veterans Services, State of Hawaii Department of Defense; the Department of Education; the Hawaii National Guard Association and the Hawaii National Guard Enlisted Association; the Military Affairs Council of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii; and the past President of the Hawaii National Guard Association.

Your Committee finds that these honorary diplomas to resident veterans are long overdue and represent but a small compensatory token to repay these veterans who were drafted into military service.

Your Committee has amended this measure to make technical, nonsubstantive changes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2886, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2886, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.