THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
106 |
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
Requesting hawaii's congressional delegation to VOTE IN FAVOR OF H.R. 2148, 112th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION, TO EXTEND military commissary and exchange store privileges to veterans with a compensable service-connected disability and their dependents.
WHEREAS, pursuant to title 5 United States Code section 2108, a "disabled veteran" means an individual who has served on active duty in the armed forces, has been separated therefrom under honorable conditions, and has established the present existence of a service-connected disability or is receiving compensation, disability retirement benefits, or pension because of a public statute administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs or a military department; and
WHEREAS, according to the United States Census' 2009 American Community Survey, there are 21.9 million military veterans in the United States; and
WHEREAS, of the 21.9 million military veterans, 3.3 million veterans have a service-connected disability with 652,000 having a service-connected disability rating, which determines the severity of one's disability, of seventy percent or higher on a disability scale from zero to hundred; and
WHEREAS, the Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees, and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment; and
WHEREAS, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America's military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve the country; and
WHEREAS, the mission of the Defense Commissary Agency is to deliver a vital benefit of the military pay system that sells grocery items at cost while enhancing quality of life and readiness; and
WHEREAS, authorized commissary patrons only include one hundred percent disabled veterans with service-connected disabilities, while disabled veterans with a service-connected disability who have been determined to be less than one hundred percent disabled are restricted from accessing the commissary; and
WHEREAS, H.R. 2148, 112th Congress, First Session (H.R. 2148), was introduced to amend chapter 54 of title 10 United States Code to extend military commissary and exchange store privileges to all veterans with a compensable service-connected disability and their dependents; and
WHEREAS, H.R. 2148 has been referred to the House Armed Services Committee and the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel and is pending in the United States House of Representatives; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, the House of Representatives concurring, that Hawaii's Congressional delegation is requested to vote in favor of H.R. 2148 to extend military commissary and exchange store privileges to veterans with a compensable service-connected disability and their dependents; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to Hawaii's Congressional delegation, the President of the United States of America, the Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness, the Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Defense Commissary Agency, the President of the United States Senate, and the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Disabled Veterans; Military Commissary and Exchange Store Privileges