STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3630

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.R. No. 85

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 Government Operations and Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.R. No. 85 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING ALL HIGH-OCCUPANCY PUBLIC BUILDINGS CONSTRUCTED AFTER JANUARY 1, 2025, TO BE DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANES AND TO SERVE AS SHELTERS IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request all high-occupancy public buildings constructed after January 1, 2025, to be:

(1) Designed to withstand category five hurricanes as determined by wind zone maps; and

(2) Used as shelters in the event of an emergency.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Accounting and General Services.

Your Committees find that the State is vulnerable to catastrophic natural disasters, including hurricanes, that can devastate communities. Historically, the State's two defenses against hurricanes have been its cool seas that slow and weaken hurricanes and strong trade winds that tear hurricanes apart; however, climate change is not only increasing the frequency and strength of hurricanes worldwide but also warming the seas and weakening trade winds, further increasing the vulnerability of the State. As such, improved emergency preparedness is of paramount importance. This measure requests that certain public buildings be designed for stronger resiliency to expand the number of available shelters in the State, thereby increasing the protection of Hawaii's people.

Your Committees acknowledge the concerns raised by the Department of Accounting and General Services that the design process for buildings to be constructed after January 1, 2025, is likely to have been completed, and that amending the designs of these and other projects that are under design or considered for appropriations to comply with this measure would require a higher budget than previously appropriated or estimated. Your Committees further acknowledge that this measure does not define "high-occupancy public buildings", and it would not be unreasonable to interpret the term to include privately constructed high-occupancy buildings available to the public and federally constructed high-occupancy buildings. Therefore, this measure needs to be amended to address these matters.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the measure applies to all high-occupancy state and county buildings, the design of which commences on or after July 1, 2025, rather than all high-occupancy public buildings constructed after January 1, 2025;

(2) Inserting language requesting that these buildings not only be designed but also be constructed to withstand category five hurricanes;

(3) Inserting language that defines the term "high-occupancy state and county building";

(4) Amending its title to reflect its amended purpose; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Government Operations and Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 85, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 85, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Government Operations and Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair

________________________________ ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair