STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1031

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 645
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation and Intergovernmental
Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 645 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERANS RIGHTS AND
     BENEFITS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to require the comptroller,
at the request of a deceased Filipino veteran's survivor or an
interested party, to make payment directly to a mortuary or
crematory for:

     (1)  Providing funeral and burial services for a deceased
          World War II Filipino veteran; and

     (2)  Transporting the remains of a deceased World War II
          Filipino veteran to the Philippines.

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the
Office of Veterans Services, Advisory Board on Veterans Services,
and three members of the Hawaii Chapter of the World War II Fil-
Am-Veterans.  The Department of Accounting and General Services
submitted comments on this measure with suggested amendments.

     Your Committee finds that the Veterans Burial Grant Program
(VBGP) provides a grant, not to exceed $2,000, to reimburse
funeral and burial expenses or the cost of transporting the
remains of a World War II (WWII) Filipino veteran to the
Philippines.  However, these costs and expenses must be paid by

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1031
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the families and friends of the deceased veterans prior to
receiving reimbursement through the VBGP.  Many friends and
families simply cannot afford to advance those costs.  This
measure provides those families and friends with an alternative
means of obtaining the needed funds for a proper burial.

     Your Committee has amended this measure pursuant to the
recommendations of the Department of Accounting and General
Services by providing that:

     (1)  The Office of Veterans Services, rather than the
          comptroller, shall receive, review, and approve
          requests for payments; and

     (2)  The payments for burial and transportation costs are to
          be authorized by the Office of Veterans Services upon
          the submission of an invoice reflecting that the
          services will be satisfactorily performed on behalf of
          the deceased World War II Filipino veteran.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Transportation and Intergovernmental Affairs that is
attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the
intent and purpose of H.B. No. 645, as amended herein, and
recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached
hereto as H.B. No. 645, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee
on Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Transportation
                                   and Intergovernmental Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   CAL KAWAMOTO, Chair

 
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