Bill Text: HI SCR91 | 2015 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Filipino Veterans Family Reunification
Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 14-1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2015-04-10 - Referred to VMI, FIN, referral sheet 49 [SCR91 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2015-SCR91-Amended.html
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nnTHE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
91 |
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TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TO SUPPORT THE PASSAGE OF LEGISLATION TO EXPEDITE FAMILY REUNIFICATION FOR CERTAIN FILIPINO VETERANS OF WORLD WAR II.
WHEREAS, on December 8, 1941, thousands of Filipino men and women responded to President Roosevelt's call for help to preserve peace, democracy, and freedom for America and the world; and
WHEREAS, at that time, the Philippines was a commonwealth associated with the United States and its citizens were nationals of the United States, similar to the status of Hawaii's residents prior to statehood and the current status of American Samoa's residents; and
WHEREAS, during the dark days of World War II, nearly one hundred thousand soldiers of the Philippine Commonwealth Army provided a ray of hope in the Pacific as they fought alongside United States and Allied forces for four long years to defend and reclaim the Philippine Islands from Japanese aggression; and
WHEREAS, thousands more Filipinos joined the United States Armed Forces immediately after the war and served in occupational duty throughout the Pacific theater; and
WHEREAS, valiant Filipino soldiers fought, died, and suffered in some of the bloodiest battles of World War II, defending beleaguered Bataan and Corregidor, and thousands of Filipino prisoners of war endured the infamous Bataan Death March and years of captivity; and
WHEREAS, their many guerrilla actions slowed the Japanese takeover of the Western Pacific region and allowed United States forces the time to build and prepare for the allied counterattack on Japanese forces; and
WHEREAS, Filipino troops fought side by side with American forces to secure their islands as the strategic base from which the final effort to defeat Japan was launched; and
WHEREAS, in February of 1946, the United States Congress enacted the 1946 Rescission Act, which denied World War II Filipino veterans rights to veterans benefits equal to those enjoyed by other veterans and soldiers of more than sixty-six other countries who were similarly inducted into the United States military; and
WHEREAS, the Rescission Act discriminated against Filipinos, making them the only national group singled out for denial of full United States veterans status and benefits, including immigration and naturalization rights; and
WHEREAS, decades later, in recognition of the courage and loyalty of the Filipino troops who fought alongside United States Armed Forces in the Pacific during World War II, the United States Congress enacted legislation in 1990 that provided a waiver from certain immigration and naturalization requirements for these Filipino veterans; and
WHEREAS, as a result of the 1990 legislation, many Filipino veterans have become proud citizens and residents of this country; and
WHEREAS, despite the granting of citizenship, World War II Filipino veterans are still denied equal treatment and status as American veterans by the Rescission Act; and
WHEREAS, the 1990 legislation did not go far enough in extending immigration and naturalization benefits to the children of Filipino veterans, resulting in years of long separation between the veterans and their children remaining in the Philippines awaiting the issuance of immigrant visas; and
WHEREAS, President William J. Clinton proclaimed October 20, 1996, as a day honoring the Filipino veterans of World War II, recalling the courage, sacrifice, and loyalty of Filipino veterans of World War II in defense of democracy and liberty; and
WHEREAS, on February 17, 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law and, among many other things, formally recognized and set the historical record straight by declaring the service of Filipino World War II veterans as active United States military service in the Armed Forces for purposes of this law; and
WHEREAS, decades after their heroic service under the command of their leaders and General Douglas MacArthur, men and women of Filipino-American national heritage are still being denied the benefits and privileges provided to their American compatriots who fought side by side with them; and
WHEREAS, World War II Filipino veterans are now in their seventies and eighties, and many are permanently disabled and would, except for the Rescission Act, be eligible for full federal veterans benefits and services; and
WHEREAS, correction of this injustice to the Filipino veterans who served our nation courageously in the fight for freedom and democracy during World War II is long overdue; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, the House of Representatives concurring, that the President of the United States and United States Congress are urged to support legislation to expedite family reunification for certain Filipino veterans of World War II; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States; President of the Republic of the Philippines; Majority Leader of the United States Senate; Speaker of the United States House of Representatives; Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate; Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary of the United States House of Representatives; Director of the Bureau of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services; United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs; Hawaii's congressional delegation; Chairs of the Senate Committee on Human Services and Housing; House Committee on Human Services; Senate Committee on Tourism and International Affairs; House Committee on Veterans, Military and International Affairs, and Culture and the Arts; and House Committee on Tourism.
Filipino Veterans Family Reunification
