STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1107

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   S.B. No. 1159

      S.D. 2

      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 S.B. No. 1159, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERANS DISABILITY BENEFITS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to partially protect a veteran's service–connected disability benefits by exempting the benefits from claims of creditors, attachment, levy, seizure, or award to another person except to the extent allowable under federal law and disability compensation apportionment policy for child and spousal support payments.  

The Advisory Board of the Office of Veterans' Services and a concerned individual supported this measure.  The Office of Veterans' Services supported the intent of this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifying that the protected and exempted service-connected disability benefits are those that are determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation benefits rate;

     (2)  Deleting a provision encouraging courts to follow federal disability compensation apportionment policy before imposing scheduled child and spousal support payments, as these policies are already codified in controlling federal statutes and regulations;

     (3)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2015; and

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

     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. 1159, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1159, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

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

____________________________

KEN ITO, Chair