THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

55

TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF VETERANS' SERVICES TO ADOPT A POLICY to ensure a MINIMUM REPRESENTATION OF FEMALES ON THE POLICY ADVISORY BOARD ON VETERANS' SERVICES.

 

 


     WHEREAS, section 363-3.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, creates the policy advisory board on veterans' services within the Office of Veterans' Services; and

 

     WHEREAS, the policy advisory board on veterans' services consists of nine members appointed by the Governor as provided by law;, with five members to be veterans and one each residing in each of the Counties of Maui and Kauai; and

 

     WHEREAS, of the nine board members, five are veterans and the totality of the membership is geographically prescribed; and

 

     WHEREAS, there is no provision in current law for the required representation of female board members; and

 

     WHEREAS, females comprise a growing and significant number of military personnel and veterans; and

 

     WHEREAS, in recognition of the importance of women veterans and women veteran issues, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs has established a Center for Women Veterans and an Advisory Committee on Women Veterans (Public Law 98-169); and

 

     WHEREAS, the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans assesses the needs of women veterans, with respect to Veterans Affairs programs such as compensation, rehabilitation, outreach, healthcare, etc.  The Committee reviews Veterans Affairs' programs, activities, research projects and other initiatives designed to meet the needs of women veterans and makes recommendations to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs on ways to improve, modify, and affect change in programs and services for women veterans and follows up on all those recommendations; and

 

     WHEREAS, as a matter of policy, the Office of Veterans' Services should ensure that women are represented on the policy advisory board on veterans' services; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Office of Veterans' Services is requested to adopt a policy to ensure a minimum representation of females on the policy advisory board on veterans' services; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of Veterans' Services report on its adoption of a policy to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009, including the number of present members who are female and the number and percentage of female veterans in Hawaii in relation to the total number of veterans; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Office of Veterans' Services.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Female Representation; Veterans Policy Advisory Board