STAND. COM. REP. NO. 786

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1381

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1381, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAII NATIONAL GUARD,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend the military rank qualification, powers, and compensation of certain command officers of the Hawaii State Defense Force.

Specifically, the measure:

(1) Allows the Commander of the Hawaii Air National Guard to hold the rank authorized by the Department of the Air Force, which is currently Major General;

(2) Provides the Adjutant General with the flexibility to assign either the Chief of Staff or the Assistant Adjutant General to lead the Hawaii Air National Guard; and

(3) Authorizes the pay and allowances for the Chief of Staff of the Hawaii Air National Guard to be determined according to the pay table of the Air Force.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Hawaii Air National Guard.

Your Committee finds that most states are only authorized a Brigadier General to lead their Air National Guard, and that Brigadier General is assigned as the Assistant Adjutant General‑Air. Your Committee also finds that, due to the size and complexity of the Hawaii National Guard, the Department of the Air Force authorized Hawaii to have a Major General for the air component. However, current state law designates an Assistant Adjutant General, who may hold a rank no higher than Brigadier General, as the head of the air division. The higher-grade authorization of Major General should have been assigned to the Assistant Adjutant General-Air position, but could only be assigned to the Chief of Staff position because of the existing rank ceiling imposed on the Assistant Adjutant General-Air position by section 121-12, Hawaii Revised Statutes. Although the Chief of Staff leads the Hawaii Air National Guard as a Major General, your Committee notes that most Hawaii Air National Guard instructions refer to the Assistant Adjutant General as the leader of the Hawaii Air National Guard.

Your Committee further finds that this incongruency leads to confusion in the chain of command and could lead to missteps in administrative and operational taskings. This measure will streamline the chain of command and provide the Adjutant General the flexibility of appointing either the Chief of Staff or the Assistant Adjutant General to head the Hawaii Air National Guard.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1381, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair