STAND. COM. REP. NO. 31

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 88

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 88 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII NATIONAL GUARD,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the payment of allowances for TRICARE, TRICARE Dental Program, and vision coverage to all officers, warrant officers, and enlisted personnel of the Hawaii National Guard ordered to active duty for more than thirty days.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Defense, Hawaiʻi National Guard, Hawaii National Guard Enlisted Association, and eleven individuals.

Your Committee finds that service members of the Hawaiʻi National Guard provide vital support to the State in times of disaster or domestic crisis. Recent increases in natural disasters throughout the State have resulted in an increased number of Hawaiʻi National Guard service members being ordered to state active duty for extended periods. As a result, many service members have been required to take indefinite leaves of absence from their civilian employment, which can create challenges regarding their healthcare coverage. While some civilian employers may choose to continue paying their employees' company-provided healthcare premiums during an absence, this is not universally the case. Consequently, service members risk losing their healthcare benefits after thirty days of being on state active duty orders, forcing them to continuously evaluate their ability to serve without healthcare coverage or to seek termination of their state active duty orders to maintain their company-provided healthcare for themselves and their families. This measure will ensure that Hawaiʻi National Guard service members receive complete healthcare coverage during periods of state active duty exceeding thirty days, which will support an uninterrupted Hawaiʻi National Guard response force capability to the State.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 88 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committees on Ways and Means and Commerce and Consumer Protection.

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

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BRANDON J.C. ELEFANTE, Chair