STAND. COM. REP. NO. 542

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 960

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 960 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CIVIL DEFENSE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds for tsunami preparedness efforts.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Department of Defense (DOD).

Tsunami preparedness includes maintaining and installing new siren systems, updating evacuation maps in phone books, constructing additional shelter space and retrofitting existing public buildings that could serve as emergency shelters, providing around-the-clock alert staff for the civil defense division, and expanding public education campaigns emphasizing the need for tsunami preparedness.

This measure would allow, among other things, the retrofitting of school buildings to increase the number of emergency shelter spaces by 19,400, a significant step toward meeting the shelter shortfall of 124,000 spaces. The DOD will coordinate the retrofit activities with other state agencies and with the four county civil defense agencies.

This measure would also allow a 24/7 staffing of civil defense. This watch capability will provide real-time threat information monitoring and dissemination, and early warning for natural and man-made hazards including terrorism.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 960 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Government Operations,

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair