STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3477

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.C.R. No. 62

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 Government Operations and Public Safety and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 62 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING CERTAIN STATE BUILDINGS DESIGNED ON OR AFTER JULY 1, 2027, AND INTENDED TO SERVE A SECONDARY PURPOSE AS AN EMERGENCY SHELTER TO BE DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND CATEGORY 5 HURRICANES AND BE USED AS SHELTERS IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to request certain state buildings designed on or after July 1, 2027, and intended to serve a secondary purpose as an emergency shelter to be designed to withstand Category 5 hurricanes and be used as shelters in the event of an emergency.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from one individual.

Prior to the hearing on this measure, your Committees posted and made available for public review a proposed S.D. 1, which deletes the contents of the measure and inserts language to request the 911 Board to establish or utilize an appropriate working group to engage with the disability community to address continuing access issues in the State's emergency and 911 response systems.

Your Committees received testimony in support of the proposed S.D. 1 from the Department of Accounting and General Services, Executive Office on Aging, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Aloha Independent Living Hawaii, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, and one individual.

Your Committees find that emergency and 911 response services are a critical public safety function, yet individuals with disabilities and access and functional needs continue to face barriers in interacting with these systems. Your Committees further find that providing first responders with advance access to critical medical, mobility, and communication information relevant to the individual in need of emergency or 911 services can improve response outcomes, reduce confusion and delays, and promote safety, dignity, and inclusion for those individuals. Your Committees also find that, while the 911 Board has made significant strides in enhancing the State's emergency response system, persistent challenges remain, including differences in system integration across counties, vendor limitations, and privacy concerns. By allowing the 911 Board flexibility to utilize an existing working group or establish a new one, this measure provides a practical and collaborative approach to developing recommendations to improve accessibility and safeguard the safety and dignity of all individuals in the State, including those with disabilities and access and functional needs, without duplicating efforts or overextending limited resources.

Your Committees have amended this measure by adopting the proposed S.D. 1.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Government Operations and Public Safety and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 62, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 62, S.D. 1.

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

________________________________ CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair

________________________________ ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair