STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3948

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1586

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1586, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISASTER RESPONSE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to allow the State to more efficiently manage federal disaster relief reimbursement moneys.

Specifically, the measure:

(1) Requires federal disaster relief reimbursement moneys, except federal disaster relief reimbursement moneys for the Department of Education, to be deposited into a trust account of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and reimbursed to the originating fund of the expending agency, and requires moneys to be returned to the general fund upon lapse of the original appropriation;

(2) Requires the Administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to submit an annual report to the Legislature on the status of federal reimbursement moneys for disaster response and each agency's disaster response spending; and

(3) Appropriates moneys to the Department of Defense for disaster response efforts.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that the changes made by this measure to the management of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency trust account and the reporting requirements for agencies' disaster response spending will help improve the reliability and predictability of financing for the State's disaster relief efforts.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1586, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair