STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2963

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2697

H.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2697, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERANS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require and appropriate funds for the Office of Veterans Services to organize, coordinate, and conduct a biennial State of Hawaii Veterans Summit.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Veterans Services and Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i.

Your Committee finds that it is essential to properly honor and care for the State's many veterans. Your Committee further finds that to ensure that the State's veterans are being treated appropriately, it is necessary to periodically bring together those involved with providing services, assistance, and benefits to veterans to discuss and collaborate on issues affecting veterans and their families and dependents. Accordingly, your Committee finds that the Office of Veterans Services should organize, coordinate, and conduct a biennial State of Hawaii Veterans Summit to bring together any department or division of the federal or state governments, veterans' organizations, or any other agency in the community whose function it is, by law or otherwise, to provide services, assistance, or benefits to veterans and their families and dependents to discuss all pertinent issues and information regarding assistance for veterans and their families and dependents.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2697, H.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

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CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair