STAND. COM. REP. NO. 9

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    GOV. MSG. NOS. 11, 12, 13

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Second Special Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing, to which was referred Governor's Message Nos. 11, 12, and 13, submitting for study and consideration the nominations of: 

Board of Directors of the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund

G.M. No. 11	GARY Y.K. CHOCK, S.E., for a term to expire 6-30-2011;
G.M. No. 12	MICHAEL P. HAMNETT, for a term to expire 6-30-2009; and
G.M. No. 13	DENNIS MICHAEL SUGIHARA, for a term to expire 6-30-2011,

begs leave to report as follows:  

     Your Committee reviewed the personal histories, resumes, and statements submitted by the nominees, and finds Gary Y.K. Chock, S.E.; Michael P. Hamnett,Ph.D.; and Dennis Michael Sugihara to have the necessary qualifications to be nominated to serve as Directors on the Board of Directors of the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund.

     Testimony in support of Gary Y.K. Chock, S.E.'s nomination was submitted by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and the Department of Accounting and General Services.

     Mr. Chock received his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and his Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Stanford University.  He currently serves as President of Martin & Chock, Inc., which provides services covering all phases of structural engineering.  He has been responsible for a number of major structural engineering projects in Hawaii, Guam, and Asia, including the Keola La‘i Condominium, the Pinnacle Honolulu, the Waikiki Landmark, the First Hawaiian Center, the Leopalace Resort in Guam, and the Taman Dayu Resort in Java, Indonesia, to name a few.  Several of these high-rise projects utilized many aspects of performance-based wind engineering and seismic design; wind-tunnel testing and dynamic analysis; and applications of probabilistic hazard analysis.

     Mr. Chock is affiliated with and has served on several professional organizations, including as the President of the Structural Engineers Association of Hawaii; a member of the International Building Code Structural Committee; a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers ASCE-7 Task Force Committee on Wind Loads; a member of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute; and a member of the American Association for Wind Engineering.  As the 2007 President of the Structural Engineers Association of Hawaii, he organized the Association's response to the October 15, 2006 Kiholo Bay Earthquake on the Big Island by coordinating the filed investigation of the structural impacts of the earthquake for the internationally recognized Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.

     Mr. Chock has also served on several state initiatives on disaster relief, including the Hawaii State Earthquake Advisory Committee, the Hawaii State Hurricane Advisory Committee, the Multi-Hazard Science Advisory Committee, the Hurricane Shelter Criteria Committee, the Uniform Statewide Building Code Task Force established under S.C.R. No. 17, S.D. 2 (2005), and the State Building Code Committee.  Furthermore, his work has been published in several academic and professional periodicals and books.

     As a licensed Structural Engineer in Hawaii and California and with extensive knowledge about local building codes, Mr. Chock clearly demonstrates that he will be a tremendous resource to the Board of Directors of the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund.  He has the education, experience, and commitment to assist the Board in managing and controlling the moneys in the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund, monitoring the availability of hurricane property insurance in the State, and adopting a plan of operation and a manual of rules and rates necessary or suitable to ensure both the solvency and the reasonable and equitable administration of the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund.  Mr. Chock's demonstrated commitment to and professional experience in engineering will prove to be a valuable asset for the Board of Directors of the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund.

     Testimony in support of Michael P. Hamnett, Ph.D.'s nomination was submitted by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; the Office of the Director of Civil Defense, Department of Defense; and three individuals.

     Dr. Hamnett received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and English Literature from Upsala College in New Jersey, and his Master of Arts and Doctorate degrees in Social-Cultural Anthropology with an ethnographic focus in Oceania from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  Dr. Hamnett is currently the Executive Director for the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii (RCUH) where he serves as the Chief Operating Officer of a $300,000,000 per year research and training support service agency, and provides leadership in the development of research and training in the State.  Prior to his position at the RCUH, he served as the Director of the Social Science Research Institute at the University of Hawaii and as a Research Coordinator for the Pacific Islands Development Program of the East-West Center at the University of Hawaii.

     Dr. Hamnett is affiliated with and has served on several professional organizations and state initiatives, including as the Chairperson and Program Director of the Hawaii Statewide Hazard Mitigation Forum, the Co-Chairperson of the Hawaii Energy Policy Forum, the Principal Investigator for the Hawaii State Hazard Mitigation Planning Project, the Program Director of the Hawaii Coral Reef Initiative Research Program, and the Co-Chairperson of the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund Technical Advisory Committee, to name a few.  Furthermore, his work has been published in several academic and professional periodicals and books.

     Dr. Hamnett clearly demonstrates that he will be a tremendous resource to the Board of Directors of the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund.  He has the education, experience, and commitment to assist the Board in managing and controlling the moneys in the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund, monitoring the availability of hurricane property insurance in the State, and adopting a plan of operation and a manual of rules and rates necessary or suitable to ensure both the solvency and the reasonable and equitable administration of the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund.  Dr. Hamnett's demonstrated commitment and professional experience will prove to be valuable assets for the Board of Directors of the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund.

     Testimony in support of Dennis Michael Sugihara's nomination was submitted by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

     Mr. Sugihara is a graduate of University High School and received his Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  With over thirty-five years of experience in the insurance industry, he is a licensed insurance agent for Atlas Insurance Agency, Inc. and previously for Continental Insurance Agency of Hawaii, Ltd. (prior to its merger with Atlas Insurance Agency, Inc.).  Mr. Sugihara is a long time member of the East Manoa Lions Club and has coached the Manoa Youth Baseball League for a combined total of ten years.  He retired from the Hawaii Air National Guard in 1991 after twenty-three years of service.

     As a licensed insurance agent in Hawaii and with extensive knowledge about the local insurance industry, Mr. Sugihara clearly demonstrates that he will be a tremendous resource to the Board of Directors of the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund.  He has the education, experience, and commitment to assist the Board in managing and controlling the moneys in the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund, monitoring the availability of hurricane property insurance in the State, and adopting a plan of operation and a manual of rules and rates necessary or suitable to ensure both the solvency and the reasonable and equitable administration of the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund.  Mr. Sugihara's demonstrated commitment to and professional experience in the insurance industry will prove to be a valuable asset for the Board of Directors of the Hawai‘i Hurricane Relief Fund.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing that are attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the nominees, has found the nominees to be qualified for the positions to which nominated and recommends that the Senate advise and consent to the nominations.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Affordable Housing,

____________________________

RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair