STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3225

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 140

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 140 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE STATE TO STRENGTHEN ITS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS BY REPOSITIONING EMERGENCY MEDICAL SUPPLY CACHES FROM OAHU TO THE NEIGHBOR ISLANDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the State to strengthen its emergency preparedness by repositioning portions of its emergency medical supply caches from Oahu to the neighbor islands.

Your Committee did not receive any testimony on this measure.

Your Committee finds that appropriate emergency preparedness by the State is essential for securing public welfare. Your Committee also finds that the State's emergency medical supply caches are centralized on the island of Oahu. While this setup is cost-effective, the neighbor islands may not be able to accommodate displaced residents or receive needed supplies of their own if a major disaster were to decimate Oahu. Moreover, your Committee finds that federal funding for the expansion and maintenance of existing medical supply caches on the neighbor islands was cut earlier this year. Therefore, your Committee finds that it is in the best interest of the State to have a contingency plan in the event a disaster decimates Oahu or prevents the transportation of emergency medical supply caches to the neighbor islands.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 140 and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

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CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair