Requires director of civil defense to develop a disaster preparedness emergency shelter plan that provides adequate emergency shelter for residents and visitors. Appropriates funds to retrofit existing emergency shelter and to create new shelters that meet required design criteria.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

SECTION 1. Chapter 128, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§128- Disaster preparedness; emergency shelters. (a) The director, in consultation with the department of civil defense for each county and the appropriate state agencies, shall develop a disaster preparedness emergency shelter plan that provides adequate emergency shelter for all residents and visitors.

(c) The plan also shall identify sites for new emergency public shelters and provide a schedule for the creation of the new emergency public shelters necessary to meet the anticipated needs of both residents and visitors during any natural or man-made disaster; provided that any newly designated or created emergency public shelter shall meet the public shelter design criteria standards established pursuant to Act 5, Special Session Laws of Hawaii 2005."

SECTION 2. The director of civil defense shall submit to the legislature no less than twenty days prior to the opening of the regular session of 2007 a report concerning the disaster preparedness emergency public shelter plan, which includes the status of currently designated emergency public shelters and their compliance with the design criteria established pursuant to Act 5, Special Session Laws of 2005, a timetable for the creation of new emergency public shelters to meet the anticipated needs of visitors and residents.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, for the disaster preparedness emergency public shelter plan, which shall be used for the planning, design, construction, and equipment costs related to the retrofitting of existing emergency public shelters and the construction of new emergency public shelters that comply with established public shelter design criteria standards, pursuant to Act 5, Special Session Laws of Hawaii 2005.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of defense for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon approval; provided that section 4 shall take effect on July 1, 2006.