STAND. COM. REP. NO.  402

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

RE:   H.B. No. 850

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Public Safety and Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts, to which was referred H.B. No. 850 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOMELAND SECURITY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to provide a comprehensive program to protect Hawaii's citizens, infrastructure, and government from terrorism and threat of attack by establishing an Office of Homeland Security within the State Department of Defense, to be headed by the Adjutant General, that will be responsible for tracking and helping to protect critical infrastructure, coordinating homeland defense and homeland security plans with all entities in the State, and soliciting and managing funds.  

The Department of Public Safety, State Department of Defense, Vice Director of State Civil Defense, County of Hawaii Civil Defense Agency, Honolulu Police Department, and Department of Emergency Management of the City and County of Honolulu supported this measure.  Several concerned individuals opposed this measure.  The Department of Human Resources Development offered comments on this measure.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying that the Director of Homeland Security shall appoint, set the salary for, and may remove an Administrator of Homeland Security, who shall be exempt from Chapter 76, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to promote further discussion; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 850, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 850, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts,

____________________________ K. MARK TAKAI, Chair

____________________________ HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair