STAND. COM. REP. NO. 346

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1219

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1219 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Transfer personnel employment responsibility, coordination duties, and Emergency Management Reserve Corps responsibility from the Adjutant General to the Administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (Administrator);

(2) Amend county emergency operation management plan requirements;

(3) Increase the maximum amount the Governor may expend from the major disaster fund during a single emergency or disaster; and

(4) Authorize the Administrator to expend monies from the major disaster fund to pay for Emergency Management Reserve Corps activities in addition to training.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from K&R Enterprises.

Your Committee finds that, in 2018, the State experienced challenges in sustaining or executing the state emergency management program and thus, opportunities have developed to improve the program. Such challenges included the false missile alert notification in January, flooding on Kauai and Oahu in April, unprecedented Kilauea eruptions on Hawaii island in May, and statewide impacts from Tropical Storms Lane and Olivia in August and September, respectively.

Your Committee further finds that this measure improves the State's emergency management capacity by increasing the amount of funding that the Governor may expend for emergency management response during a major disaster and by supporting additional Emergency Management Reserve Corps activities. Your Committee also finds that this measure provides greater accountability for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to prepare a comprehensive emergency plan; adopt standards for county emergency management plans; recommend emergency prevention and mitigation measures related to building codes, zoning, and land use controls to the Legislature, among other requirements; and conduct various emergency management activities to improve the current emergency management program;

(2) Transferring the responsibility of requesting legislative appropriations for emergency or disaster relief from the Adjutant General to the Administrator;

(3) Transferring control of the trust account holding federal reimbursement monies for disaster relief from the Department of Defense to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency;

(4) Authorizing up to $2,500,000 of unexpended and unencumbered monies remaining in the major disaster fund at the close of each fiscal year to be carried over to the following fiscal year, in order to build a reserve to respond to future emergencies and disasters; and

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments 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 is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1219, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1219, S.D. 1, and 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,

________________________________

CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair