STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1047

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 831

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 831, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERAN BURIAL GRANTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to fund transportation costs associated with transporting the body of a World War II New Filipino Scout to the Philippines who is not eligible for interment in state or federal veterans cemeteries by authorizing the Office of Veterans' Services, at the request of a deceased World War II New Filipino Scout's survivor or an interested party, to receive, review, and, as appropriate, approve requests for payments for:

     (1)  Providing funeral and burial services for a New Filipino Scout who died after June 30, 1994; and

     (2)  Transporting the remains of a New Filipino Scout to the Philippines.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Veterans Services, Philippine Nurses Association – Hawaii, Filipino Coalition for Solidarity, Congress of Visayan Organizations, Hawaii Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training, Oahu Filipino Community Council, Nursing Advocates and Mentors, Inc., World War II Filipino-American Veterans - Hawaii, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that there are tremendous costs associated with the funeral, burial, and transportation services for Filipino veterans, and that many families and friends of Filipino veterans cannot afford to pay for these activities in advance.  Your Committee also finds that, under existing law, although the survivor or interested party responsible for the funeral and transportation costs of a qualified Filipino veteran would be eligible to receive a burial grant from the Office of Veterans' Services to defray such costs, the responsible person must produce an itemized, paid invoice of the services rendered in order to receive reimbursement.  Because of these financial constraints, the bodies of some deceased veterans cannot be properly buried until the deceased veteran's survivor or interested parties raise the necessary funds to pay the mortuary for funeral and other related services.

     Your Committee amended this measure by expanding the application of the measure to all World War II Filipino veterans who are not eligible for interment in a state or federal veterans cemetery so that they may receive a burial grant from the Office of Veterans' Services.

     It is the intent of your Committee to require the Office of Veterans' Services, at the request of a survivor or interested party of a deceased World War II Filipino veteran, to make payments directly to a mortuary or crematory for funeral and burial services, and to transport the remains to the Philippines upon submission of an itemized unpaid invoice.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 831, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 831, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair