STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1290

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1203

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1203, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE NATIONAL GUARD,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Amend certain eligibility requirements for appointment to Adjutant General by requiring that effective July 1, 2013, and excluding application to the sitting Adjutant General, in order to serve as the Adjutant General, an individual must hold or have held a commission of at least O-5 and served as a commissioned officer in one or more of the Armed Forces of the United States for a total of at least ten years;

 

     (2)  Provide first preference for an Adjutant General appointee who has had at least five years of service as an active commissioned officer in the Hawaii National Guard, whether Army, Air, or both, for eligibility; and

 

     (3)  Provide second preference for an Adjutant General appointee who has served as an active commissioned officer in the National Guard of the Armed Forces of any state or territory of the United States.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii; Hawaii Air National Guard Headquarters, 154th Wing; Office of the Senior Enlisted Leader, Hawaii National Guard; and seven individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from six individuals.

 

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii does not have substantive qualifying criteria for the Governor to use in the selection of the Adjutant General.  Your Committee further finds that the key role the Adjutant General plays in the safety and security of the people of Hawaii warrants this individual to have certain experience.  This measure provides qualifying criteria to assist with the selection of the Adjutant General and gives preference to candidates with direct experience in supervising or participating in the various state programs that are under the purview of the Hawaii Department of Defense.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Inserting an effective date of January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1203, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1203, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

 

 

 

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair