STAND. COM. REP. NO. 221

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 699

       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 S.B. No. 699 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERANS LICENSE PLATES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to authorize counties to waive the fees for special number license plates to veterans and directs the Office of Veteran Services to reimburse the counties for the waived fees.

     This measure also appropriates moneys for fiscal year 2007-2008, and fiscal year 2008-2009, for the reimbursement of costs to the City and County of Honolulu for the issuance of special number license plates to veterans.

     Testimony was submitted in support of this measure by the Advisory Board on Veterans Services, the Office of Veterans Services, the Hawaii National Guard Association, the National Guard Association of Hawaii Insurance Trust, and the Hawaii National Guard Enlisted Association.  Testimony in opposition to the reimbursement of previously paid fees by the counties was submitted by the City and County of Honolulu.

     Your Committee finds that the military specialty license plates program was authorized in 1992 and since that time, the counties have issued thousands of military specialty license plates to eligible applicants, processed many license plate replacements for license plates that were lost, stolen, or defaced, and transferred numerous vehicles from one eligible applicant to another eligible applicant.  Your Committee further finds that this program serves as an important acknowledgement to our veterans, recognizing their sacrifice and service to our nation.

     Your Committee also finds that it would be an insurmountable task to require the Office of Veteran Services to reimburse the counties for the license plate fees that have been previously paid and ensure that the reimbursement is provided to the person that originally paid the fee.

     Your Committee amended this measure to remove the requirement that the Office of Veteran Services reimburse the City and County of Honolulu for the amount of the waived license plate fees previously charged and to remove the appropriation for this purpose.

     It is the intent of your Committee to continue to honor our veterans by waiving the fees for special number license plates for veterans.

     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 S.B. No. 699, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 699, 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