THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

44

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the army national guard and other agencies of the state of hawaii to provide logistical and transportation SUPPORT AND training to the emergency environmental workforce when possible.

 

WHEREAS, through Act 4, 2001 Third Special Session (Act 4), the Legislature established the emergency environmental workforce, partially to provide short-term employment for persons who were adversely affected by the economic downturn following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001; and

WHEREAS, the emergency environmental workforce has been deployed in earnest and has already begun to make an impact throughout the State; and

WHEREAS, in Act 4 the Legislature appropriated $1,500,000 to cover the initial costs of establishing and deploying the emergency environmental workforce; and

WHEREAS, the duties assigned the emergency environmental workforce require that its members travel to the farthest reaches of each island in the State of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, one of the largest expenses for the workforce thus far has been transportation expenses, particularly on the islands of Maui and Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the transportation requirements of the emergency environmental workforce include several buses, trucks, sport utility vehicles, vans, and other passenger vehicles, some of which are currently being rented or provided by a county or by other means; and

WHEREAS, the workforce also requires training regarding the use of equipment currently being employed by the workforce; and

WHEREAS, the Army National Guard currently conducts training for its own personnel both on Oahu and on neighbor islands; and

WHEREAS, the legislature recognizes that federal law prohibits the loan or lease of military equipment when such a loan or lease would compete in a commercial enterprise or deny employment of civilians, thus prohibiting any mandate that armed forces stationed in Hawaii provide assistance to the environmental workforce; and

WHEREAS, other agencies within the government of the State of Hawaii also may be able to assist in training and transporting members of the emergency environmental workforce; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-First Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Army National Guard, the Department of Defense, and all other Government Agencies of the State of Hawaii are requested to provide the Emergency Environmental Workforce with logistic and transportation support and training whenever such assistance is possible and feasible and not inconsistent with federal law; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the State of Hawaii, the Adjutant General, the Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and the Director of Transportation.

     

Report Title:

Emergency Environmental Workforce; Assistance by Government Agencies