STAND. COM. REP. NO. 228

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1431

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1431 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR NATURAL DISASTERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to make an emergency appropriation for emergency relief operations in the counties of Hawaii, Maui, Kauai, and the City and County of Honolulu as a result of the October 15, 2006, Kiholo Bay earthquake disaster.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Defense, the Department of Education, the County of Hawaii, and the Daughters of Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that additional funding is required to continue the Department of Defense's disaster relief efforts and to cover the twenty-five per cent cost share of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Public Assistance Programs as required by the Robert T. Stafford Disaster and Emergency Assistance Act.  Without this appropriation, state agencies will be at risk of losing federal funding for the repair and restoration of damaged government facilities.  The general fund recommendation included in this measure has been made in accordance with the statutorily defined appropriation ceiling for the Executive Branch pursuant to section 37-92, Hawaii Revised Statutes.  Funding requested in this measure will assure continued assistance and relief for the October 15, 2006, Kiholo Bay earthquake disaster.

     To this end, your Committee amended this measure to further clarify that this measure will allow the expenditure of funds for all earthquake disaster recovery projects, which would include the twenty-five per cent non-federal cost share for earthquake disaster recovery projects made eligible under the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Public Assistance Program.

     It is the intent of your Committee to ensure continued assistance and relief for the State's victims of the October 15, 2006, Kiholo Bay earthquake.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1431, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1431, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair