STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1105-20

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2020

RE: S.B. No. 3072

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety, Veterans, & Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 3072, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve the State's preparedness and response to disasters, in part, by:

(1) Requiring statewide inventories of hospitals, dialysis centers, medical facilities, satellite phones, and generators to provide backup power; and

(2) Appropriating funds for positions related to emergency response planning and allocation of resources and for non-perishable food in natural disasters.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and one individual.

Your Committee recognizes the importance of improving the State's preparedness for and response to communities affected by disasters. However, your Committee finds that the priority at this time is to inventory designated emergency shelters and their ability to withstand hurricanes.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the requirement that new public buildings be designed to withstand category four and higher hurricanes;

(2) Deleting the requirements that various departments or agencies establish statewide inventories of hospitals, dialysis centers, medical facilities, satellite phones, and generators to provide backup power;

(3) Requiring the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to inventory all designated emergency shelters and their ability to withstand a category one hurricane or higher, and provide a list of emergency shelters and their respective hurricane ratings to the Legislature prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2021;

(4) Deleting the appropriations; and

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Veterans, & Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3072, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3072, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Veterans, & Military Affairs,

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair