STAND. COM. REP. NO.350

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 316

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 316 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE HAWAII CIVIL AIR PATROL,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for the operational expenses of the Hawaii Civil Air Patrol (CAP).

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Wing, CAP, the Oahu Chapter of the Air Force Association, and the Honolulu City and County Oahu Civil Defense Agency.

Your Committee finds that the Hawaii CAP is a vital component of our emergency response system in Hawaii. The CAP conducts search and rescue missions, medical emergency transport, tsunami watch patrols, and many other functions to help ensure the public safety in times of emergency.

The CAP has not received funding in many years, and as a result, has had to scale back its training programs and operations. Consequently, your Committee finds that the future of the CAP is in jeopardy.

In addition, some of the equipment used by the CAP is in dire need of repair and maintenance that may be extremely expensive or impossible if delayed much longer. Therefore, your Committee fully supports this measure, and has amended it to raise the appropriation amount to $100,000. Several testifiers on behalf of the CAP informed your Committee that it will take much more than that to repair and maintain equipment, provide training, and resume emergency response functions effectively.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 316, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 316, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations,

____________________________

CAL KAWAMOTO, Chair