STAND. COM. REP. NO.  925

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   S.B. No. 343

      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. 343 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERANS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1)  Exempt qualifying totally and permanently disabled veterans from the State's annual vehicle registration fee commencing September 1, 2015; and

(2)  Require the Office of Veterans' Services to annually submit a report on the number of disabled veterans qualifying for the exemption to the Legislature and Department of Taxation.

The Advisory Board of the Office of Veterans' Services; Department of Hawaii, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States; and two concerned individuals supported this measure.  The Office of Veterans' Services supported the intent of this measure.  The Department of Transportation and Tax Foundation of Hawaii provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the date upon which the registration fee exemption commences to September 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion.

     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. 343, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 343, 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,

____________________________

KEN ITO, Chair