STAND. COM. REP. NO. 132

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1116

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. 1116 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE RELATING TO COVID-19 EXPENDITURES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to provide emergency appropriations in fiscal year 2020-2021 to the Department of Defense to continue funding various coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response related programs and activities.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. Your Committee received comments regarding this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted on March 27, 2020, to address the extensive health and economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and provide federal funds to support the State's COVID-19 relief efforts. With the expiration of the CARES Act funds, your Committee finds that additional funds are needed to continue funding critical COVID-19 response programs and activities for the remainder of fiscal year 2020-2021. This measure appropriates funds for the purpose of COVID-19 response activities and provides transparency and accountability for the use of those funds.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an appropriation amount of $8,413,549 for the transfer of Safe Travels Hawaii contracts from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Defense;

(2) Deleting appropriations for activation of the National Guard and data service for airport screener tablets, because such funding is no longer required;

(3) Inserting an appropriation amount of $4,588,802 for procurement, storage, and distribution of personal protective equipment to schools and state agencies;

(4) Clarifying that the Governor is authorized to transfer the appropriated funds among all executive agencies and is authorized to transfer excess Department of Defense funds to the Governor's contingency fund, as deemed necessary; 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. 1116, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1116, 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