STAND. COM. REP. NO. 129

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1163

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 1163 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CIVIL AIR PATROL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds to support the operational expenses of the Hawaii Wing of the Civil Air Patrol.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, The Maritime Group, and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the Civil Air Patrol is a nonprofit organization and an auxiliary of the United States Air Force and its activities include emergency services, aerospace education, and cadet programs. Civil Air Patrol members are volunteers who serve as pilots, scanners, and ground crew in fulfilling its mission to serve communities, save lives, and shape futures. Additionally, Civil Air Patrol personnel regularly serve in the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Emergency Operations Center during emergency and disaster incident responses, and they assist in the field by spreading warnings in remote areas before an incident, providing pre—assessment aerial reconnaissance, and assessing the damages and impacts afterward. Most recently, the Civil Air Patrol was employed on the island of Hawaii to conduct aerial reconnaissance after the eruption of Mauna Loa in December 2022 and provided overflights that allowed for aerial photography to monitor the status of the lava flows and document damage to support a request for a federal disaster declaration. Although the Hawaii Wing of the Civil Air Patrol has conducted its activities through funding of operational expenses from the State for years, that funding ceased in 2019. Your Committee believes that the Civil Air Patrol is a key asset in state emergency management. This measure will allow the State to protect lives and property in Hawaii by appropriating funds for operational expenses of the Hawaii Wing of the Civil Air Patrol.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1163 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

________________________________

GLENN WAKAI, Chair