STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2432

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2139

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2139, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERANS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to authorize the Director of the Office of Veterans' Services to act on behalf of deceased veterans who are indigent at the time of death and do not have surviving immediate family members to ensure the burial or cremation and interment of the veteran's remains in a state veterans cemetery.

     Comments in support of this measure were submitted by the Office of Veterans Services.  The written comments received by the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that this measure will address an important issue facing a significant number of veterans in Hawaii who are indigent and do not have surviving immediate family members.  This measure will allow the Office of Veterans' Services to ensure that these veterans receive a proper and dignified burial, befitting their service to their country.

     Your Committee amended this measure by:

     (1)  Correcting a reference in existing law to accurately refer to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date of the measure to January 1, 2055 to facilitate further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2139, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2139, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair