HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	207
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING A STUDY ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT STATE CIVIL DEFENSE AGENCY.

     WHEREAS, the main mission of the State Department of Defense is "[t]o maintain readiness to respond to the needs of the people in the event of disasters, either natural or human-caused", according to the Multi-Year Program and Financial Plan and Executive Budget; and

     WHEREAS, the Department is headed by a military commander and not a civilian public officer; and

     WHEREAS, to perform its mission, the Department has four divisions:  the Hawaii Army National Guard, the Air National Guard, the Hawaii State Defense Force, and the State Civil Defense; and

     WHEREAS, the first three are military divisions, the duties of which include responding to federal orders during times of war or national emergency; and

     WHEREAS, the Civil Defense Division is a civilian organization that prepares for and responds to natural disasters and other emergencies; and

     WHEREAS, there is increasing sentiment that the Department of Defense places its primary focus on its military duties and responsibilities to the detriment of the Civil Defense Division; and

     WHEREAS, because of the secondary focus on the Civil Defense Division, the Department has been criticized as not having sufficient plans and equipment to adequately respond to the various types of natural disasters and emergencies and protect the public; and

     WHEREAS, one often discussed structural change to resolve the problem is the separation of the Civil Defense Division from the Department of Defense; and

     WHEREAS, such a structural change requires study to determine if it should be implemented; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the Auditor is requested to conduct a study of separating the Civil Defense Division from the supervision and control of the Department of Defense and upgrading the Division to an independent agency, the head of which shall report directly to the Governor; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit the study to the Legislature at least twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Adjutant General, the Vice Director of Civil Defense, and the Auditor.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title: 

Independent Civil Defense Division