Hawaii County committee forwards Bill 96 to full council to broaden Veterans Advisory Committee membership

The Policy Committee on Health, Safety and Well-Being voted 7-0, with two members excused, on Oct. 21, 2025 to forward Bill 96 to the full Hawaii County Council with a favorable recommendation. The bill would amend the county code to remove specific organizational representative requirements for the Veterans Advisory Committee while keeping the committee's total number of members unchanged.

The measure, introduced by Council Member Eustace, amends "chapter 15, article 7, section 15-62 of the Hawaii County Code (1983/2016 edition, as amended) relating to the Veterans Advisory Committee," according to committee staff. The committee voted to forward the bill after brief testimony from a committee member and comment from the mayor's office.

Colonel Deb Lewis, speaking as a member of the Veterans Advisory Committee, said the bill is intended to ensure the committee can provide steady support to veterans and meet quorum. "This bill is important to ensure that this committee provides the support to veterans that we say that we wanted it to," Lewis said. She said past language had required representation from specific organizations and that some of those organizations no longer participate, which made it difficult to reach quorum. Lewis described the revised language as allowing veterans and other community members with relevant expertise to serve: "we want to have veterans on it, but not necessarily exclusive veterans, but those who have expertise and do and take action throughout the county, to support our veterans."

Michael Alameda, executive assistant in the Office of the Mayor, told the committee the administration supports the change. "By removing this specific membership criteria that would hope and open up the recruitment door to all veterans who have bravely served our country," Alameda said. He told the committee there are currently 11 members serving, space for 12, and three veterans awaiting appointment.

Council Member Eustace, speaking during the committee discussion, said the measure "lessens the requirements in the specificity of the groups being required to be members of the Veterans Advisory Committee" while not changing the committee's size. The committee recorded 7 ayes; two members, Council Member Kirkowitz and Council Member Kleinfelder, were excused from the meeting.

The committee action forwards Bill 96 to the full council on first reading with a favorable recommendation. The bill will next be scheduled for the council's docket for consideration and any subsequent votes.

No budgetary changes, effective dates or implementation details were specified during the committee meeting. Testimony and committee remarks said the change aims primarily to broaden the pool of qualified applicants and avoid quorum problems caused by strict organizational representation requirements.