STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3292

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2443

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 2443, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISASTER SERVICES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Integrate the needs of individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs into emergency planning, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation activities;

(2) Establish a Disability Integration Specialist position, to be located in the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, who shall provide programming support for disability community projects that promote accessibility, inclusion, and equity in disaster management; and

(3) Appropriate funds.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Disability and Communication Access Board, Office of Wellness and Resilience, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, Hawaiʻi Self-Advocacy Advisory Council, Palehua Townhouses Association, Aloha Independent Living Hawaii, LeadingAge Pacific West, and thirteen individuals.

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

Your Committees find that one in five residents of the State has a disability and may require additional support before, during, and after disasters. Residents with disabilities encounter disproportionate risks, including difficulty evacuating without proper support, lack of accessible transportation, and barriers to receiving emergency and evacuation orders in alternate formats. These residents also often face obstacles accessing shelters and receiving appropriate emergency care and post-disaster relief, such as housing, food, and financial assistance. This measure ensures that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency has both the funding and personnel to meet the needs of residents who have disabilities.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language that:

(A) Permanently exempts the Disability Integration Specialist position from civil service law;

(B) Requires the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to develop and implement a statewide public education and communications program;

(C) Requires the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to submit annual reports to the Legislature;

(D) Appropriates an unspecified amount to implement the statewide public education and communications program;

(E) Requires the Governor or mayor of a county to provide an American Sign Language interpreter during each official announcement broadcast via television or the Internet during a state of emergency;

(F) Requires the Governor or mayor of a county to ensure, to the fullest extent possible, that the American Sign Language interpreter's face, body, arms, and hands are visible during the broadcast;

(G) Requires the Governor or mayor of a county to provide a standardized pool feed that includes the American Sign Language interpreter in a picture‑in‑picture window not less than one quarter the size of the primary video and not blocked or covered by captions, graphics, or other on-screen tax; and

(H) Appropriates an unspecified amount for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to expand access to bilingual resources and services;

(2) Inserting additional legislative findings; and

(3) 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 Public Safety and Military Affairs and Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2443, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2443, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Health and Human Services,

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair

________________________________ CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair