STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2273

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2156

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2156 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Defense to provide relief from flooding events.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that recent incidents such as the March and December 2021 severe storms show that the State of Hawaii is vulnerable to many natural disasters, particularly flooding events related to severe storms. This measure creates a legislative vehicle to appropriate funds to the Department of Defense should a severe storm or other incident occur during the legislative session. This vehicle pre-positions a fiscal tool to manage and deploy resources quickly and with a shortened set-up time in the event an emergency incident requires it. While there is no guarantee such an incident will occur, your Committee sees value in preparatory work to deliver assistance to the people of Hawaii as quickly and with as few obstacles as possible in the event a severe storm, flooding event, or other emergency incident impacts the State. This measure will assist the State in responding to emergency incidents more efficiently by appropriating funds to the Department of Defense to provide relief from flooding events.

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. 2156 and recommends that it pass Second Reading 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,

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CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair