STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1517

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.C.R. No. 224
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs, to
which was referred H.C.R. No. 224 entitled: 

     "HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE ADJUTANT GENERAL
     TO REPORT ON TERRORIST INCIDENT PREPAREDNESS CAPABILITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this resolution is to:

     (1)  Assess the overall capabilities of State and County
          civil defense agencies to respond to terrorist
          incidents that employ weapons of mass destruction;

     (2)  Determine the improvements needed in the State's
          overall response capabilities to reduce our
          vulnerability to such incidents;

     (3)  Request that the Adjudant General undertake the
          preparation and submission of a summary report that
          describes current capabilities and provides a
          description of needed improvements prior to the Regular
          Session of 2000.

     The Adjutant General provided testimony in support of this
measure, identifying some potential gaps with regard to neighbor
island preparedness.  The Department of Health felt that the
concerns expressed in this measure were being addressed by State
Civil Defense.


 
 
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                                 Page 2

 
     Your Committee finds that although there is a significant
level of coordination presently occurring, portions of the
overall response capability are dependent on the receipt of
requested Federal funds.  In addition, overall response
capability may be better determined as the result of a multi-
agency response exercise presently scheduled for May 28, 1999.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended the
measure by:

     (1)  Specifying that training and and education activities
          be coordinated with University of Hawaii, School of
          Public Health;

     (2)  Increasing the number of days allowed for the
          preparation and submittal of a summary report by
          extending the due date from sixty to twenty days prior
          to the Regular Session of 2000;

     (3)  Adding the University of Hawaii School of Public Health
          to those to receive a certified copy of the resolution.

     Your Committee finds that this measure, as amended, will
provide the basis for any subsequent changes and improvements to
the State's ability to respond to acts of terrorism from
biological and chemical agents.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs that is attached
to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and
purpose of H.C.R. No. 224, as amended herein, and recommends that
it be referred to the Committee on Finance, in the form attached
hereto as H.C.R. No. 224, H.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Public Safety and
                                   Military Affairs,



                                   ______________________________
                                   NESTOR R. GARCIA, Chair