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THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE ADJUTANT GENERAL TO REPORT ON TERRORIST INCIDENT
    PREPAREDNESS CAPABILITIES.



 1        WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that the State is
 2   vulnerable to terrorist attack and that such attacks can result
 3   in loss of life, injury, and extensive damage to property; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, chapter 128, Civil Defense and Emergency Act,
 6   Hawaii Revised Statutes, includes measures "to ensure that
 7   preparations of this State and the government provided for this
 8   State will be adequate to deal with disasters and
 9   emergencies..."; and
10   
11        WHEREAS, terrorists have conducted attacks using weapons
12   of mass destruction including explosives, incendiaries,
13   radiological, chemical, and biological agents; and
14   
15        WHEREAS, the Legislature believes that the State should
16   coordinate terrorist incident preparedness activities with the
17   federal government, county governments and private agencies,
18   and capitalize on federal government grants and programs to
19   improve state and county terrorist incident preparedness; and
20   that state and county first responder police, fire, emergency
21   medical, civil defense, and National Guard personnel must be
22   trained and provided the necessary equipment and supplies to
23   deal with this threat; and
24   
25        WHEREAS, the State should share terrorist intelligence
26   information with federal agencies, county governments, and
27   private agencies to anticipate and thwart terrorist attacks or
28   threats of attack, and in the aftermath of an attack, state and
29   county law enforcement agencies should assist federal law
30   enforcement activities in collecting evidence for prosecuting
31   the perpetrators; and
32   
33        WHEREAS, the state Department of Defense, which includes
34   state Civil Defense, and the Hawaii National Guard, should
35   enhance its capabilities to prepare for and respond to
36   terrorist incidents employing weapons of mass destruction,

 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   including improved response personnel notification systems,
 2   acquisition of military nuclear, biological, and chemical agent
 3   detection equipment and training, personal protection,
 4   decontamination, communications equipment and medical supplies;
 5   and when authorized by the United States Department of Defense,
 6   the state Department of Defense should fill National Guard
 7   personnel positions rapidly and conduct necessary training, and
 8   furthermore, should strive to have state and county civil
 9   defense plans revised to include guidance on terrorist incident
10   preparedness and response activities; and
11   
12        WHEREAS, the State should strive to have state and county
13   secure communications capabilities improved to manage the
14   crisis and consequence management of a terrorist incident; and
15   
16        WHEREAS, the legislature believes that each county should
17   have enhanced first responder capabilities to potential
18   terrorist incidents specifically, a well equipped and trained
19   bomb disposal squad, and a fully equipped and trained level A
20   capable Hazardous Material Response Team; and
21   
22        WHEREAS, the State should improve its ability to deal with
23   terrorist bombs by encouraging the development of an Urban
24   Search and Rescue team in Honolulu that can be deployed
25   anywhere in the State; and
26   
27        WHEREAS, the State should improve training for medical
28   professionals, Emergency Medical Teams, first responders, and
29   hospitals to deal with weapons of mass destruction and mass
30   casualty situations involving large numbers of victims; and
31   
32        WHEREAS, the State should consider increasing the
33   resources available to the Department of Defense for staff
34   positions dedicated to planning and exercises that focus on
35   terrorist preparedness; and
36   
37        WHEREAS, the State should improve the capabilities of the
38   Department of Health laboratories to detect and specifically
39   identify nuclear, biological, and chemical attack agents, which
40   is vital to rapidly determine the appropriate and effective
41   medical treatment, and coordinate with private sector
42   hospitals, clinics, and medical associations to address all

 
 
 
 
 
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 1   likely agents while avoiding duplication; and
 2   
 3        WHEREAS, the State should improve the capabilities of the
 4   Department of Health to quickly conduct epidemiological studies
 5   to determine the focus and method of attack in a biological
 6   attack incident; and
 7   
 8        WHEREAS, the State should strive to have state and county
 9   capabilities improved to prevent, detect, and respond to
10   cyberterrorism, i.e., computer and telecommunication system
11   attacks; and
12   
13        WHEREAS, state terrorism incident training and education
14   activities should be coordinated with the University of Hawaii
15   to draw on and enhance the terrorism expertise in the state
16   University System, and as funding becomes available, acquire,
17   store, and maintain emergency reserves of vaccines,
18   antibiotics, and pharmaceuticals to supplement hospital and
19   clinic supplies for use in responding to a large-scale
20   terrorist attack; now, therefore,
21   
22        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
23   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 1999, the House of
24   Representatives concurring, that the Adjutant General is
25   respectfully requested to report on the State's terrorist
26   incident preparedness capabilities; and
27   
28        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Adjutant General is requested
29   to prepare and submit a summary report on the State's terrorist
30   incident preparedness capabilities sixty days prior to the
31   Regular Session of 2000; and
32   
33        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this
34   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Adjutant General.