STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1358

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.C.R. No. 249

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 249 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO AUTHORIZE AND APPROPRIATE FUNDS TO ALLOW ALL MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES RESERVE COMPONENT TO ACCESS THE TRICARE PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this Concurrent Resolution is to urge the Congress of the United States to authorize and appropriate funds to allow all members of the Armed Forces Reserves to have access to the TRICARE program. Current law allows members of the National Guard and Reserves to receive only one year of cost-share TRICARE health benefits for every ninety-day period of active duty.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the State Department of Defense, Hawaii National Guard Association and the Hawaii National Guard Enlisted Association.

Your Committee believes that providing our National Guard and Reserve members with access to TRICARE health benefits would maintain the health of our reserve component service members, increase retention and recruitment, and ensure readiness for unexpected deployments.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 249 and recommends its adoption.

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

 

____________________________

KEN ITO, Chair