STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1475

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2023

 

RE:   S.B. No. 1332

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 1332, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to improve the State's and counties' ability to respond to emergency situations in Hawaii by:

 

     (1)  Clarifying the scope of the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan;

 

     (2)  Specifying the status and allowable uses of Major Disaster Fund monies, including increasing the amount of additional funds that may be made available for the purpose of matching federal disaster relief funds from $5,000,000 to $10,000,000;

 

     (3)  Shortening the duration of price control periods from ninety-six hours to seventy-two hours; and

 

     (4)  Defining the term "severe warning" to recognize that entities other than the National Weather Service issue warnings that may require the activation of the emergency management system.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the state Department of Defense; Hawaii Emergency Management Agency; Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency of the City and County of Honolulu; Retail Merchants of Hawaii; and Chamber of Commerce Hawaii.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that this measure clarifies the scope of the State's Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan to address not only how Hawaii responds to emergencies and disasters but also how it prepares for, mitigates against, and recovers from them.  Your Committee further finds that the other statutory modifications proposed in this measure would better enable the state Department of Defense and Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to fulfill their mission of protecting the people of Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Clarifying that the Governor's or mayors' emergency management powers under chapter 127A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, must be consistent with the Hawaii State Constitution;

 

     (2)  Clarifying the powers of the Governor and mayors to extend or terminate a state of emergency or local state of emergency, respectively;

 

     (3)  To provide greater flexibility, deleting the exact location at which the new Hawaii Emergency Management Agency facility will be built;

 

     (4)  Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount;

 

     (5)  Changing its effective date to June 30, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

 

     (6)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

 

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it choose to deliberate on this measure, to consider appropriating $12,000,000 for each year of fiscal biennium 2023-2025 for the planning and design of a new Hawaii Emergency Management Agency facility.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1332, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1332, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair