STAND. COM. REP. NO. 386

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1102

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation and Culture and the Arts and Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1102 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE AIRCRAFT RESCUE FIRE FIGHTING UNIT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish that the Chief of the State Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Unit of the Airports Division of the Department of Transportation shall serve not more than three terms of four years each.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation.

Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association.

Your Committees find that currently, there is a lack of clarity in the law regarding the duration and limit of terms that are served by the appointed Chief of the State Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Unit. The position of Chief of this unit is important to the safety and successful functioning of the Airports Division of the Department of Transportation, and clarification regarding the best practices for sustaining this position is necessary. This measure will address this issue by establishing that the appointed Chief of the Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Unit shall serve no more than three terms of a period of four years each.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Director of Transportation to appoint the Chief of the Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Unit from a list of three qualified candidates submitted for consideration;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and Culture and the Arts and Public Safety and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1102, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1102, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and Culture and the Arts and Public Safety and Military Affairs,

________________________________ BRANDON J.C. ELEFANTE, Chair

________________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair