STAND. COM. REP. NO. 230

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 781

       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. 781 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PUBLIC SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate $150,000 to develop a feasibility study for a Hawaii state fire and emergency training facility. 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Fire Council, the Honolulu Fire Department, and the Kauai Fire Department.

     Your Committee finds that fire fighters and other emergency first responders must be able to fully respond to natural and manmade disasters.  The development of a Hawaii state fire and emergency training facility will help ensure that fire fighters and emergency first responders are able to meet the needs of the public in the case of such disaster.

     Your Committee has amended this measure to include a separate, related appropriation for a public campaign on natural disaster preparedness.  The amount of the appropriation for the public campaign has been left unspecified to encourage further discussion.

     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. 781, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 781, 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