HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	91
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE  RESOLUTION

requesting congress and the president of the united states to enact the filipino american veterans equity act of 2007, or similar legislation providing veterans benefits to filipino veterans who served our nation in world war ii.

     WHEREAS, President Roosevelt called over 200,000 Filipino soldiers into service in the United States Armed Forces in the Far East (USAFFE) on July 26, 1941, in anticipation of war with Japan; and

     WHEREAS, on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor  and several hours later, on December 8th, bombed the United States military bases in the Philippines; and

     WHEREAS, tens of thousands of Filipino men and women risked their lives against the invading Japanese forces and assisted our nation in its efforts to liberate the Philippines; and

     WHEREAS, on April 9, 1942, the United States retreated from the Philippines, and during the Bataan Death March, thousands of American and Filipino prisoners of war died as they traveled to Japanese P.O.W. camps; and

     WHEREAS, on September 2, 1945, Japan surrendered the Philippines to America; and

     WHEREAS, in February of 1946, Congress enacted the 1946 Recission Act, which denied World War II Filipino veterans rights to veterans benefits equal to those enjoyed by other veterans; and

     WHEREAS, before the Recission Act became law, officials of the federal Department of Veterans Affairs considered that Filipino military service met the statutory definition of a United States veteran, and that World War II Filipino veterans were entitled to veterans benefits that include healthcare, disability pensions, and burial expenses; and

     WHEREAS, although citizenship was granted to Filipino veterans by Congress in October of 1990, these World War II veterans are still denied equal treatment and status as American veterans by the Recission Act; and

     WHEREAS, the World War II Filipino veterans that survive, are now in their 70s and 80s, and many are permanently disabled and would, except for the Recission Act, be eligible for full federal veterans benefits and services; and

     WHEREAS, correction of this injustice to the Filipino veterans who served our nation courageously in the fight for freedom and democracy during World War II is long overdue; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, that the President of the United States and United States Congress are urged to enact the Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2007, or similar legislation that provides World War II Filipino veterans with full federal veterans benefits; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Majority Leader of the United States Senate, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and each member of Hawaii's Congressional Delegation.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Filipino veteran benefits