STAND. COM. REP. NO.  266

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 460

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred H.B. No. 460 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATEWIDE INTEROPERABLE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish the Statewide Interoperability Executive Board (Board) within the state Department of Defense to serve as the primary steering group for public safety interoperable communications statewide.

The State Department of Defense, Department of the Attorney General, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Office of Enterprise Technology Services, Department of Public Safety, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Hawaii State Fire Council, Honolulu Fire Department, Maui Police Department, Kauai Fire Department, and one concerned individual supported this measure.  The Department of Emergency Management of the City and County of Honolulu, Honolulu Police Department, and Kauai Emergency Management Agency offered comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying the State Chief Information Officer's (CIO) title and providing the CIO the flexibility to designate an appropriate individual to the Board; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2099, to promote further discussion.

     Should the Committee on Finance decide to deliberate further on this measure, your Committee respectfully and strongly suggests amending the composition of the Board to include appropriate appointees from individual counties and appropriate appointees from the islands of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai rather than one appointee from the County of Maui.  Also, your Committee respectfully suggests that lawmakers be part of the dissemination of information in emergency situations, such as providing constituents with information and answering questions that may be asked in emergency situations.

     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. 460, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 460, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair