STAND. COM. REP. NO. 545

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 596

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred H.B. No. 596 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify the types of events that constitute disasters and emergencies for the purposes of emergency management.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency.

Your Committee finds that this measure establishes a clearer statutory definition of the events that constitute an "emergency" or "disaster", which would limit the potential for executive overreach via emergency orders and restore the constitutional balance of powers.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 596, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 596, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair