STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2780

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 788

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 788, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISASTER RELIEF,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to extend the lapsing date of certain appropriations relating to civil defense disaster relief to June 30, 2009.

     This measure also appropriates unspecified amounts from general revenues for the state civil defense major disaster fund and for the state civil defense emergency supply program.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Department of Defense, Civil Defense Division, and the State Council on Developmental Disabilities.  The Board of Land and Natural Resources offered comments.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has:

(1)  Inserted a technical correction referring to Act 118, Session Laws of Hawaii 2006, as amended by Act 89, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, and reflecting the correct underlying law as it was amended by Act 89;

(2)  Deleted the appropriations of state general revenues for the state civil defense major disaster fund and for the state civil defense emergency supply program from this measure.  Your Committee stresses that this deletion in no way dismisses or minimizes the legitimate needs served by these appropriations.  However, given current fiscal constraints, your Committee finds that these appropriations for specific purposes will be better served through consideration of these, and all, needs in the larger context of the executive supplemental budget;

(3)  Renumbered the remaining sections accordingly; and

(4)  Changed the effective date of the measure to June 29, 2008.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 788, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 788, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair