SB3109

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the Hawai`i emergency management agency is administratively attached to the department of defense and currently led by an administrator of emergency management. However, the increasing frequency and complexity of both natural and human-caused disasters in Hawai`i require a leadership structure with clearer operational authority and a more defined chain of command within the department of defense.

The legislature further finds that the department of transportation provides a useful organizational model, with a director supported by deputy directors who each have defined operational authority over administration, airports, harbors, and highways. Similarly, converting the administrator position of the Hawai`i emergency management agency into a deputy director position within the department of defense, under the direction of the adjutant general who serves as the director of Hawaii emergency management, will strengthen coordination, clarify authority, and enhance the State's ability to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to establish the administrator of emergency management as the deputy director of emergency management, serving under the adjutant general within the department of defense, and to vest this position with operational authority over the Hawai`i emergency management agency.

SECTION 2. Section 76-16, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

"(b) The civil service to which this chapter applies shall comprise all positions in the State now existing or hereafter established and embrace all personal services performed for the State, except the following:

(1) Commissioned and enlisted personnel of the Hawaii National Guard and positions in the Hawaii National Guard that are required by state or federal laws or regulations or orders of the National Guard to be filled from those commissioned or enlisted personnel;

(2) Positions filled by persons employed by contract where the director of human resources development has certified that the service is special or unique or is essential to the public interest and that, because of circumstances surrounding its fulfillment, personnel to perform the service cannot be obtained through normal civil service recruitment procedures. Any contract may be for any period not exceeding one year;

(3) Positions that must be filled without delay to comply with a court order or decree if the director determines that recruitment through normal recruitment civil service procedures would result in delay or noncompliance, such as the Felix-Cayetano consent decree;

(4) Positions filled by the legislature or by either house or any committee thereof;

(5) Employees in the office of the governor and office of the lieutenant governor, and household employees at Washington Place;

(6) Positions filled by popular vote;

(7) Department heads, officers, and members of any board, commission, or other state agency whose appointments are made by the governor or are required by law to be confirmed by the senate;

(8) Judges, referees, receivers, masters, jurors, notaries public, land court examiners, court commissioners, and attorneys appointed by a state court for a special temporary service;

(9) One bailiff for the chief justice of the supreme court who shall have the powers and duties of a court officer and bailiff under section 606-14; one secretary or clerk for each justice of the supreme court, each judge of the intermediate appellate court, and each judge of the circuit court; one secretary for the judicial council; one deputy administrative director of the courts; three law clerks for the chief justice of the supreme court, two law clerks for each associate justice of the supreme court and each judge of the intermediate appellate court, one law clerk for each judge of the circuit court, two additional law clerks for the civil administrative judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, two additional law clerks for the criminal administrative judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, one additional law clerk for the senior judge of the family court of the first circuit, two additional law clerks for the civil motions judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, two additional law clerks for the criminal motions judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, and two law clerks for the administrative judge of the district court of the first circuit; and one private secretary for the administrative director of the courts, the deputy administrative director of the courts, each department head, each deputy or first assistant, and each additional deputy, or assistant deputy, or assistant defined in paragraph (16);

(10) First deputy and deputy attorneys general, the administrative services manager of the department of the attorney general, one secretary for the administrative services manager, an administrator and any support staff for the criminal and juvenile justice resources coordination functions, and law clerks;

(11) (A) Teachers, principals, vice-principals, complex area superintendents, deputy and assistant superintendents, other certificated personnel, and no more than twenty noncertificated administrative, professional, and technical personnel not engaged in instructional work;

(B) Effective July 1, 2003, teaching assistants, educational assistants, bilingual or bicultural school-home assistants, school psychologists, psychological examiners, speech pathologists, athletic health care trainers, alternative school work study assistants, alternative school educational or supportive services specialists, alternative school project coordinators, and communications aides in the department of education;

(D) Members of the faculty of the university of Hawaii, including research workers, extension agents, personnel engaged in instructional work, and administrative, professional, and technical personnel of the university;

(12) Employees engaged in special, research, or demonstration projects approved by the governor;

(13) (A) Positions filled by inmates, patients of state institutions, and persons with severe physical or mental disabilities participating in the work experience training programs;

(B) Positions filled with students in accordance with guidelines for established state employment programs; and

(C) Positions that provide work experience training or temporary public service employment that are filled by persons entering the workforce or persons transitioning into other careers under programs such as the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998, as amended, or the Senior Community Service Employment Program of the Employment and Training Administration of the United States Department of Labor, or under other similar state programs;

(14) A custodian or guide at Iolani Palace, the Royal Mausoleum, and Hulihee Palace;

(15) Positions filled by persons employed on a fee, contract, or piecework basis, who may lawfully perform their duties concurrently with their private business or profession or other private employment and whose duties require only a portion of their time, if it is impracticable to ascertain or anticipate the portion of time to be devoted to the service of the State;

(16) Positions of first deputies or first assistants of each department head appointed under or in the manner provided in section 6, article V, of the Hawaii State Constitution; three additional deputies or assistants either in charge of the highways, harbors, and airports divisions or other functions within the department of transportation as may be assigned by the director of transportation, with the approval of the governor; one additional deputy in the department of human services either in charge of welfare or other functions within the department as may be assigned by the director of human services; four additional deputies in the department of health, each in charge of one of the following: behavioral health, environmental health, hospitals, and health resources administration, including other functions within the department as may be assigned by the director of health, with the approval of the governor; two additional deputies in charge of the law enforcement programs, administration, or other functions within the department of law enforcement as may be assigned by the director of law enforcement, with the approval of the governor; three additional deputies each in charge of the correctional institutions, rehabilitation services and programs, and administration or other functions within the department of corrections and rehabilitation as may be assigned by the director of corrections and rehabilitation, with the approval of the governor; two administrative assistants to the state librarian; [~~and~~] an administrative assistant to the superintendent of education; and the deputy director of emergency management in the department of defense;

(17) Positions specifically exempted from this part by any other law; provided that:

(A) Any exemption created after July 1, 2014, shall expire three years after its enactment unless affirmatively extended by an act of the legislature; and

(B) All of the positions defined by paragraph (9) shall be included in the position classification plan;

(18) Positions in the state foster grandparent program and positions for temporary employment of senior citizens in occupations in which there is a severe personnel shortage or in special projects;

(19) Household employees at the official residence of the president of the university of Hawaii;

(20) Employees in the department of education engaged in the supervision of students during meal periods in the distribution, collection, and counting of meal tickets, and in the cleaning of classrooms after school hours on a less than half-time basis;

(21) Employees hired under the tenant hire program of the Hawaii public housing authority; provided that no more than twenty-six per cent of the authority's workforce in any housing project maintained or operated by the authority shall be hired under the tenant hire program;

(22) Positions of the federally funded expanded food and nutrition program of the university of Hawaii that require the hiring of nutrition program assistants who live in the areas they serve;

(23) Positions filled by persons with severe disabilities who are certified by the state vocational rehabilitation office that they are able to perform safely the duties of the positions;

(24) The sheriff;

(25) A gender and other fairness coordinator hired by the judiciary;

(26) Positions in the Hawaii National Guard youth and adult education programs;

(27) In the Hawaii state energy office in the department of business, economic development, and tourism, all energy program managers, energy program specialists, energy program assistants, and energy analysts;

(28) Administrative appeals hearing officers in the department of human services;

(29) In the Med-QUEST division of the department of human services, the division administrator, finance officer, health care services branch administrator, medical director, and clinical standards administrator;

(30) In the director's office of the department of human services, the enterprise officer, information security and privacy compliance officer, security and privacy compliance engineer, security and privacy compliance analyst, information technology implementation manager, assistant information technology implementation manager, resource manager, community or project development director, policy director, special assistant to the director, and limited English proficiency project manager or coordinator;

(31) The Alzheimer's disease and related dementia services coordinator in the executive office on aging;

(32) In the Hawaii emergency management agency, the executive officer, public information officer, civil defense administrative officer, branch chiefs, and emergency operations center state warning point personnel; provided that for state warning point personnel, the director shall determine that recruitment through normal civil service recruitment procedures would result in delay or noncompliance;

(33) The executive director and seven full-time administrative positions of the school facilities authority;

(34) Positions in the Mauna Kea stewardship and oversight authority;

(35) In the office of homeland security of the department of law enforcement, the statewide interoperable communications coordinator;

(36) In the social services division of the department of human services, the business technology analyst;

(37) The executive director and staff of the 911 board;

(38) The software developer supervisor and senior software developers in the department of taxation;

(39) In the department of law enforcement, five Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., coordinator positions;

(40) The state fire marshal and deputy state fire marshal in the office of the state fire marshal;

(41) The administrator for the law enforcement standards board;

(42) In the office of the director of taxation, the data privacy officer and tax business analysts; and

[[](43)[]] All positions filled by the Hawaii tourism authority within the department of business, economic development, and tourism.

The director shall determine the applicability of this section to specific positions.

Nothing in this section shall be deemed to affect the civil service status of any incumbent as it existed on July 1, 1955."

SECTION 3. Section 127A-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending the definition of "administrator" to read as follows:

"[~~"Administrator"~~] "Deputy director" means the [~~administrator~~] deputy director of [~~the Hawaii~~] emergency management [~~agency~~] established by section 127A-3."

SECTION 4. Section 127A-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsections (b) to (d) to read as follows:

"(b) There shall be [~~an administrator~~] a deputy director of emergency management within the department of defense, who shall be appointed, and may be removed, by the director, and who shall have at least three years of experience leading emergency management efforts at the local, state, or federal level. The [~~administrator of emergency management~~] deputy director shall be the first assistant to the director with respect to emergency management functions and the civilian head of and responsible for the day-to-day operations of the agency. In the absence of the director, the deputy director shall exercise all powers and duties as they relate to emergency management. The [~~administrator of emergency management~~] deputy director shall report to the director[~~. The administrator of emergency management shall, in the absence of the director, have all the duties and responsibilities of the director, and shall report directly to the governor.~~] and shall be paid a salary commensurate with the tier two deputy directors, as defined by the current salary commission, until the next salary commission is convened. The [~~administrator of emergency management~~] deputy director shall not be subject to chapter 76.

(c) The [~~administrator~~] deputy director may, from funds allotted therefore, employ technical, clerical, administrative, and other personnel and make such expenditures as may be necessary.

(d) The [~~administrator~~] deputy director shall coordinate the activities of the agency with all county emergency management agencies, other state agencies, other states, or federal agencies involved in emergency management activities, and all organizations for emergency management within the State, whether public or private, and shall maintain liaison and cooperate with all county emergency management agencies, other state agencies, other states, or federal agencies involved in emergency management activities as provided in this chapter."

SECTION 5. Section 127A-5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (i) to read as follows:

"(i) Each county, under the mayor's direction, shall coordinate, develop, and implement a comprehensive emergency management plan for the county and submit annual reports to the [~~administrator~~] deputy director on the status and updates of the plan."

SECTION 6. Sections 127A-6, 127A-16, and 127A-16.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, are amended by substituting the word "deputy director," or similar term, wherever the word "administrator," or similar term, appears, as the context requires.

SECTION 7. Every reference to the administrator of emergency management in all rules, policies, procedures, guidelines, and other material adopted or developed by the Hawai`i emergency management agency is amended to refer to the deputy director of emergency management, as appropriate, until amended or repealed by the Hawai`i emergency management agency.

SECTION 8. The commission on salaries shall, pursuant to section 26-56, Hawaii Revised Statutes, include the deputy director of emergency management within its recommendations for executive branch salary levels beginning with the next adjustment cycle following the enactment of this Act.

SECTION 9. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 10. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

BY REQUEST

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	3109
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026
STATE OF HAWAII