STAND. COM. REP. NO.  945

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   S.B. No. 539

      S.D. 2

      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 S.B. No. 539, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERANS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to recognize the sacrifices made by members of the armed services by exempting certain totally and permanently disabled veterans from paying State motor vehicle registration expenses on certain vehicles. 

The National Association for Uniformed Services-Hawaii Chapter (HI-1), Department of the State of Hawaii-Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Veterans of Foreign Wars-Hawaii, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 970, and two concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The State Office of Veterans Services testified in support of the intent of this measure.  The Department of Transportation, City and County of Honolulu, and the Counties of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii testified in opposition to this bill.  The Tax Foundation of Hawaii provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Placing the exemption from motor vehicle registration fees in a more appropriate chapter of the Hawaii Revised Statutes;

     (2)  Clarifying that the exemption applies only to the state motor vehicle registration fee;

     (3)  Clarifying that a veteran must be other than dishonorably discharged from the uniformed armed forces to qualify for the exemption; and

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

     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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 539, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 539, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Transportation.

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

____________________________

K. MARK TAKAI, Chair