STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1394

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   H.C.R. No. 60

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 60 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE GOVERNOR, DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM, BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‘I, BOARD OF EDUCATION, AND HAWAI‘I'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO STRENGTHEN THE SISTER-STATE RELATIONSHIP WITH TAIWAN IN COMMEMORATION OF THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SISTER-STATE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HAWAI‘I AND TAIWAN,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to encourage the strengthening of the relationship between Hawaii and Taiwan.

     Prior to conducting a hearing on the measure, your Committee circulated a copy of a proposed H.D. 1 of the measure that deletes its contents and replaces it with language that changes its title and:

(1)  Requests the state Department of Defense to establish a veteran women services coordinator position within the Office of Veterans Services;

(2)  Requests the veteran women services coordinator to:

(A)  Gather and distribute information about services available to women military members and veterans;

(B)  Educate counselors within the Office of Veterans Services concerning the services available to women veterans; and

(C)  Attend national conferences and participate in veteran services workshops to ensure that women veterans have a knowledgeable contact person who is able to direct women veterans to appropriate resources; and

(3)  Requests the Office of Veterans Services to appoint as the veteran women services coordinator, a veteran or present or released member of the Hawaii Air or Army National Guard, who was discharged under honorable conditions.

Your Committee received testimony in support of the proposed draft from the Office of Veterans Services, the Hawaii Military Women's Task Force, and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that establishing a veteran women services coordinator will augment services provided by the Office of Veteran Services and assist women veterans in getting help to meet their unique needs as they reenter civilian life.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by adopting the proposed draft.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 60, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 60, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts,

____________________________

K. MARK TAKAI, Chair