RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, beginning in 1988, the Pentagon began to downsize its military base structure with a series of base closures; and

WHEREAS, Congress accelerated the process by mandating scheduled base realignment and closures (BRAC) over the last decade and a half; and

WHEREAS, U.S. military bases establish a substantial economic and societal epicenter within the communities in which the bases are located; and

WHEREAS, the economies of a community, city, and even state become severely dependent upon the commerce and vitality created by the military personnel and their activities in the area; and

WHEREAS, all across the country, BRACs create a sudden economic vacuum that adversely impacts on the lives of the residents remaining after a military base has closed and its personnel have moved away; and

WHEREAS, one of the most immediate effects of a military base closure is the loss of jobs as businesses attempt to cope with the sudden decrease in commercial activity; and

WHEREAS, over the long-term, communities must deal with the extraordinary costs relating to the upkeep and redevelopment of the unoccupied military facilities and surrounding areas; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii has first-hand experience with the complexities and issues resulting from a military base closure with the closure of Barbers Point Naval Air Station in 1999; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii continues to struggle with the burdensome economic impacts and redevelopment problems of that closure; and

WHEREAS, in addition to the short-term economic loss that the State experiences when a base closes, long-term losses from such an exodus includes the loss of access to "dual use technology"; and

WHEREAS, dual use technology is a term used for formerly high tech military equipment and applications that have been recently declassified for use by the general public for commercial purposes; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii companies benefit from their proximity to military bases and are able to convert dual use technology to economic gain due to this proximity; and

WHEREAS, during this time of heightened international tensions, the increased likelihood of attack by terrorists and rogue countries, and the fragile nature of Hawaii's economy, further military base closures in the State of Hawaii would reduce the security of the State and the nation; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii is an island state that is heavily dependent upon air and sea industries; and

WHEREAS, tourism and federal expenditures are the top two sources of income to Hawaii, with tourism accounting for approximately $11 billion and federal expenditures accounting for $9.1 billion annually; and

WHEREAS, tourism has suffered greatly since September 11, 2001, and the current wars in the Middle East are causing further declines in visitor travel; and

WHEREAS, the impacts on the airline and visitor industries will be staggering and require years of recovery for the State's economy; and

WHEREAS, closure of military bases and the subsequent departure of the military when tourism is floundering would be catastrophic to Hawaii's economy; and

WHEREAS, the potential impact of base closures in Hawaii is so significant that a special commission should be established to address the issue to prevent base closures in Hawaii when possible; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the House of Representatives concurring, that the U.S. Congress is urged to discontinue closures of U.S. military bases in the State of Hawaii; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a Base Realignment and Closing Committee be established to work with federal, state, and military leaders to preserve local military bases and to position Hawaii to inherit work from other bases that are closed; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Base Realignment and Closing Committee be comprised of at least the following members:

(1) Two members appointed by the Senate President;

(3) Two members appointed by the Governor; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that additional members be appointed to the Base Realignment and Closing Committee as appropriate, from the public and private sectors and the military; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Base Realignment and Closing Committee report to the Legislature at least twenty days prior to the convening of the 2004 Regular Session regarding its work to preserve local bases; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the U.S. Senate, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Hawaii's congressional delegation, and the Governor of the State of Hawaii.

Report Title:

U.S. Military Base Closures; Discontinuance; Committee Established