STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3372

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 108

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 108 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, AND THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TO MAKE NECESSARY UPDATES TO ENSURE THAT TEXTUAL AND AUDIBLE INFORMATION FROM THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM ARE MATCHED AND SYNCHRONIZED DURING TELEVISION BROADCASTS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and National Weather Service to make necessary updates to ensure that textual and audible information from the Emergency Alert System are matched and synchronized during television broadcasts.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Disability and Communication Access Board, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Aloha State Association of the Deaf, and four individuals.

Your Committees find that this measure will improve access to the Emergency Alert System for and reduce confusion among persons who are blind, deaf, or hard of hearing by requesting the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and National Weather Service to match and synchronize textual and audible information for the Emergency Alert System.

However, your Committees have heard the concerns of the Disability and Communication Access Board that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency may be well-positioned to assist federal agencies to update the Emergency Alert System on local television stations, and that additional information on the purpose of information matching and synchronization may be needed, including the need to ensure persons with cognitive disabilities also receive accurate information about disasters.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is able to and is requested to work with the various federal agencies to ensure information matching and synchronization;

(2) Clarifying the purpose of information matching and synchronization in emergency alert broadcasts and including references to people with cognitive disabilities to ensure that they also receive accurate information about disasters;

(3) Amending its title in accordance with its amended purpose; and

(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 108, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 108, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health,

________________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair