STAND. COM. REP. NO. 585

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1317

       S.D. 2

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1317, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE JAPANESE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE IN HAWAII,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to secure the legacy of Nisei veterans and preserve the site of the Honouliuli internment camp.

More specifically, this measure:

(1)  Appropriates funds for the planning, design, and construction of the Nisei Veterans Legacy Center; provided that matching funds are provided;

(2)  Requires the Department of Land and Natural Resources to report to the Legislature on the status of the Nisei Veterans Legacy Center, including funding;

(3)  Appropriates funds for the continued maintenance, support, and work of the Honouliuli Park Site Project Advisory Group for the Honouliuli Internment Camp Educational Center; provided that matching funds are provided; and

 (4) Requires the Honouliuli Park Site Project Advisory group to submit a report to the Legislature regarding the recommendations and status of the Honouliuli Internment site.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the 442^nd Veterans Club, the University of Hawaii-West Oahu, and thirty-seven individuals.

     Your Committee finds that a Nisei Veterans Legacy Center and the Honouliuli Internment Camp Education Center would preserve, perpetuate, and share the legacy and history of the Japanese-Americans who served in the United States Armed Forces during World War II.  Your Committee also finds that the Legacy Center and the Education Center would complement academic and research programs offered at the University of Hawaii.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Changing the effective date from July 1, 2013, to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion on the measure; and

(2)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     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. 1317, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1317, S.D. 2.

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

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair