STAND. COM. REP. NO.  552

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 881

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts, to which was referred H.B. No. 881 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to address the various problems and needs of veterans, particularly women veterans, by appropriating funds for the establishment of a full-time permanent veterans coordinator position in the Office of Veterans' Services.

The Department of Defense, Office of Veterans' Services, Advisory Board on Veterans' Services, Hawaii Military Women Veterans Task Force Committee, and several concerned individuals supported this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Appropriating funds for the establishment of one full-time position of veterans services counselor IV in the Office of Veterans' Services, rather than establishing and funding the position of veterans coordinator; and

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

     Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider appropriating $47,000 for each year of fiscal biennium 2015-2017 for the position of veterans services counselor IV in the Office of Veterans' Services.

     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 H.B. No. 881, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 881, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

KEN ITO, Chair