STAND. COM. REP. NO. 769

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 993

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 993, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve and enhance the effectiveness of the State Emergency Management Program by:

(1) Clarifying the duties and responsibilities between the Director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and the Administrator of the Agency;

(2) Requiring that each county, under the mayor's direction, coordinate, develop, and implement a comprehensive emergency management plan for the county and submit annual reports to the Administrator of the Agency on the status and updates of the plan;

(3) Clarifying the leadership, duties, and responsibilities of the Emergency Management Reserve Corps;

(4) Changing the Major Disaster Fund's expenditure ceiling allowed to the Governor for immediate relief as a result of any single emergency or disaster; and

(5) Changing the allotment from the Major Disaster Fund to support the Emergency Management Reserve Corps.

The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Department of Defense, and O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i testified in support of this measure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying the duties of the Agency;

(2) Requiring that the Administrator, instead of the Director, make requests to the Legislature for amounts to be appropriated from the Major Disaster Fund;

(3) Requiring the Agency to manage the trust account with federal reimbursement moneys, instead of the Department of Defense; and

(4) Specifying that any unexpended funds under $2,500,000 carry over to the next fiscal year to support emergencies and disasters.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 993, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 993, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair