STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2447

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3375

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Higher Education, Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, and Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 3375 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WILDFIRE PREVENTION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Appropriate funds for the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources to establish a Central Oahu Wildfire Protection Plan, in consultation with the Department of Land and Natural Resources, community stakeholders, and nonprofit organizations that specialize in wildfire preparedness and mitigation programming; and

(2) Require matching funds from United States Department of Agriculture Forestry Service Wildfire Defense grants.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi System and one individual.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committees find that the threat of wildfires in the State has significantly increased, posing a threat to public health, safety, and natural resources. Presently, the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Community Wildfire Defense grant program assists at-risk communities to prevent the risk of wildfire. The Forest Service Community Wildfire Defense grant program also assists with the development of protection plans, which may be utilized by nonprofit organizations specializing in wildfire mitigation and prevention programming. According to the testimony of the University of Hawaii, protection plans serve as information gathering opportunities to determine projects for wildfire mitigation and prevention, which may be converted into opportunities for federal funding. To protect the State from future wildfire threats, this measure takes a proactive approach to fire safety and mitigation.

Your Committees have amended this measure by inserting language specifying that this measure is a matter of statewide concern.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Higher Education, Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, and Water and Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3375, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3375, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Higher Education, Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, and Water and Land,

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair	________________________________ DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair
	________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair