STAND. COM. REP. NO. 37

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1107

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1107 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish the hazard mitigation special fund for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Energy Office; Hawaii Emergency Management Agency; The Maritime Group, LLC; and AARP Hawai‘i.

Your Committee finds that section 127A-18, Hawaii Revised Statutes, allows certain personnel to enter private property in the absence of an emergency or disaster, with notice to the landowner and occupant, to address dangerous trees and unstable rock and soil conditions and mitigate flood hazards. Creation of the special hazard mitigation fund will provide the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency a dedicated funding source for personnel to mitigate situations deemed hazardous to the health and safety of the public through the actions identified in statute. This measure will provide a funding source to allow this important work to continue.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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. 1107, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1107, 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