STAND. COM. REP. NO. 223

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 1650

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1650 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide reimbursement for travel expenses to National Guard members reporting for drill or exercises and makes an appropriation for the reimbursements.

Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Department of Defense and The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that members of the National Guard are sometimes required to incur air travel expenses in order to report for official duties. It would be appropriate for the State to assume costs of necessary air travel in order to maintain a force that is prepared to meet its commitments.

Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Establishing that the State will reimburse travel expenses if the member was not offered military travel benefits;

(2) Increasing the amount appropriated from $60,000 to $228,000; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of style and clarity.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1650, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1650, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair