STAND. COM. REP. NO. 393-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2236

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Public Safety, to which was referred H.B. No. 2236 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Clarify state and local authority during a state or local state of emergency;

(2) Add a definition of "severe weather warning"; and

(3) Allow the Legislature to terminate a state of emergency and county councils to terminate a local state of emergency.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Information Practices.

Your Committee finds that government transparency and accountability must be maintained even during a state of emergency. Your Committee further finds that it is vital to the constitutional framework of checks and balances and the separation of powers to ensure that the Governor or a mayor's emergency powers do not become a tool for unchecked executive authority. This measure seeks to avoid such a situation.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the reasonable delay in an agency's response to requests for certain records due to extenuating circumstances cannot exceed six months;

(2) Changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2236, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2236, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety,

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair