STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1046

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 47

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.C.R. No. 47 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO SUPPORT S.57 AND H.R.760, ENTITLED THE FILIPINO VETERANS EQUITY ACT OF 2007,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request that the President of the United States and the United States Congress support the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007.

     Your Committee did not receive testimony regarding this measure.

     Your Committee finds that the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007 would consider certain service in the organized military forces of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and the Philippine Scouts to have been on active service for the purposes of benefits under programs administered by the Secretary of Veterans' Affairs.  To this end, your Committee finds that qualified Filipino veterans who courageously fought along side America's Armed Forces in the Philippines during World War II should receive veterans' benefits and, therefore, urges the President of the United States and the United States Congress to support the passage of the Filipino Veterans Act of 2007.

     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 concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 47 and recommends its adoption.

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

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair