STAND. COM. REP. NO. 125

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1332

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. 1332 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Clarify the scope of the state comprehensive emergency management plan;

(2) Delineate allowable uses of Major Disaster Fund moneys;

(3) Increase the amount of the additional funds that may be made available for the purpose of matching federal disaster relief funds from $5,000,000 to $10,000,000;

(4) Shorten the duration of price control periods from ninety-six to seventy-two hours; and

(5) Clarify that entities other than the National Weather Service may issue warnings that may require the activation of the emergency management system.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Defense, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and Retail Merchants of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that recent emergencies, including the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, have highlighted the importance of clear legal frameworks for state and county emergency management to ensure that the State and counties are ready for any types of emergencies and to align with state and federal processes. Your Committee further finds that emergency management agencies require access to more resources due to rising inflation and the increased scale and cost of emergencies in recent years. Your Committee believes that increasing funds available to address emergencies and improving and further clarifying the legal frameworks for state and county emergency management agencies will improve emergency response efforts.

This measure will allow the Department of Defense, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, and other state and county emergency management agencies to fulfill their mission of protecting the people of the State by clarifying the scope of the comprehensive emergency management plan, delineating allowable uses of Major Disaster Fund moneys, increasing the amount of the additional funds that may be made available for the purpose of matching federal disaster relief funds from $5,000,000 to $10,000,000, shortening the duration of price control periods and the stay on residential tenancy terminations from ninety-six to seventy-two hours, and clarifying that entities other than the National Weather Service may issue warnings that may require the activation of the emergency management system.

Your Committee notes that amendments made by this measure to section 127A-30(c), Hawaii Revised Statutes, may be interpreted to repeal the governor and mayor's authority to specify, through a declaration, the duration of emergency periods to defer the termination of any tenancy for a residential dwelling unit in an area that is subject to an emergency proclamation. Your Committee believes this matter warrants more examination in future deliberations on this measure.

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. 1332 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