STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3229

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 66

S.D. 1

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. 66 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT THE UNITED STATES PACIFIC COMMAND DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A WARNING SYSTEM FOR AFFECTING THE STATE MILITARY-RELATED EMERGENCIES AND THAT THE UNITED STATES PACIFIC COMMAND BE THE SOLE AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR ISSUING PUBLIC ALERTS OR WARNINGS RELATING TO MILITARY MATTERS AFFECTING THE STATE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request that the United States Pacific Command develop and implement a warning system for military-related emergencies affecting the State and be the sole agency responsible for issuing public alerts or warnings relating to military matters affecting the State.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i.

Your Committee finds that to ensure the protection and safety of the State's citizens, it is necessary that citizens be properly and timely informed of any actual military-related threat. Under existing law, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is the agency charged with issuing public alerts and warnings in cases of emergency or disaster. However, the events of January 13, 2018, in which the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency issued a false incoming ballistic missile alert warning that caused widespread distress and panic across the State revealed that the Agency has the capability and authority to issue such a warning despite lacking the necessary resources to detect and confirm that such a military-related threat actually exists. Your Committee finds that it is essential to correct this flaw in the State's emergency alert and warning system. Accordingly, this measure requests that the United States Pacific Command be the sole agency responsible for issuing public alerts or warnings relating to military matters affecting the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment to its title for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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. 66, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 66, S.D. 1.

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