STAND. COM. REP. NO.  516-14

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1667

      H.D. 2

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts, to which was referred H.B. No. 1667, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VETERANS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

The purpose of this measure is to recognize the sacrifices made by members of the armed services by exempting certain totally and permanently disabled veterans from having to pay annual motor vehicle registration fees on one of their noncommercial vehicles. 

 

This measure also requires the Office of Veterans' Services to submit an annual report to the Legislature and the Department of Taxation providing figures on the total number of veterans who qualify for the motor vehicle registration fee exemption.

 

     The Department of Defense; Mayor of the County of Maui; Council Chair of the Maui County Council; Military Officers Association of America, Hawaii Chapter; and two concerned individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Transportation testified in opposition to this bill.  The Department of Customer Services of the City and County of Honolulu and Tax Foundation of Hawaii provided comments.

 

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

     (1)  Changing its effective date to September 1, 2014, to allow the Department of Customer Services of the City and County of Honolulu adequate time to update their motor vehicle registration computer system; and

 

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1667, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1667, H.D. 2.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

K. MARK TAKAI, Chair