Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official page posted by the Hawaii State Legislature, fetched 2026-08-29. Where this bill amends existing law, language marked for deletion in the official page appears here in brackets. This is the first conference draft. The official bill page.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H.B. NO. 2443 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 H.D. 1 STATE OF HAWAII S.D. 1 C.D. 1 A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISASTER SERVICES. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII: SECTION 1. The legislature finds that one in five Hawaii residents has a disability, and many require functional or access support before, during, and after disasters. These individuals often encounter disproportionate risks, including difficulty evacuating without proper supports; lack of accessible transportation; barriers to receiving emergency alerts and evacuation orders in formats that they can understand; and obstacles in accessing shelters, emergency medical care, and post-disaster relief programs, such as housing, food, and financial assistance. The legislature further finds that in the immediate aftermath of the 2023, Maui wildfires, many individuals with disabilities faced significant impediments to accessing emergency shelters and services. Shelters often lacked physical accessibility, disability-trained staff, and coordinated resources to address medical and functional needs. Nonprofit organizations and community members stepped in to fill these gaps; however, the lack of a planned, coordinated response by state and county agencies highlighted systemic inequities in disaster preparedness and response for individuals with disabilities. The legislature additionally finds that although the legislature passed Act 210, Session Laws of Hawaii 2024, to establish a limited English proficiency language access coordinator within the Hawaii emergency management agency, that position addresses only the needs of limited English proficient individuals under state and federal language access laws. Importantly, American Sign Language does not fall under the language access law, as American Sign Language is not a foreign language but a distinct language of the deaf community. The rights of individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have other disabilities fall within the scope of the Americans with Disabilities Act, not language access statutes. Accordingly, there remains a critical gap in disaster services planning and response for individuals with disabilities, including those who use American Sign Language and those with access and functional needs. A disability integration specialist position, serving as the State's emergency management specialist within the Hawaii emergency management agency, is necessary to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and related federal and state disability laws, coordinate disability-related planning, advise on current best and promising practices, and guarantee accessible disaster services for all individuals with disabilities and access and functional needs. Furthermore, the legislature finds that section 308 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act, Public Law 93-288, as amended) requires entities receiving Federal Emergency Management Agency funding to ensure equitable access to disaster services for individuals with disabilities. Federal Emergency Management Agency guidance also requires disability integration throughout emergency management, emphasizing planning, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to: (1) Add disability- and access-and-functional-needs-related planning, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation to the designated functions of the Hawaii emergency management agency; and (2) Appropriate funds to the Hawaii emergency management agency for the establishment of a disability integration specialist, who shall serve as the emergency management specialist and provide programming support for disability and access and functional needs community projects that promote accessibility, inclusion, and equity in disaster management. SECTION 2. Section 76-16, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows: "(b) The civil service to which this chapter applies shall comprise all positions in the State now existing or hereafter established and embrace all personal services performed for the State, except the following: (1) Commissioned and enlisted personnel of the Hawaii National Guard and positions in the Hawaii National Guard that are required by state or federal laws or regulations or orders of the National Guard to be filled from those commissioned or enlisted personnel; (2) Positions filled by persons employed by contract where the director of human resources development has certified that the service is special or unique or is essential to the public interest and that, because of circumstances surrounding its fulfillment, personnel to perform the service cannot be obtained through normal civil service recruitment procedures. Any contract may be for any period not exceeding one year; (3) Positions that must be filled without delay to comply with a court order or decree if the director determines that recruitment through normal recruitment civil service procedures would result in delay or noncompliance, such as the Felix-Cayetano consent decree; (4) Positions filled by the legislature or by either house or any committee thereof; (5) Employees in the office of the governor and office of the lieutenant governor, and household employees at Washington Place; (6) Positions filled by popular vote; (7) Department heads, officers, and members of any board, commission, or other state agency whose appointments are made by the governor or are required by law to be confirmed by the senate; (8) Judges, referees, receivers, masters, jurors, notaries public, land court examiners, court commissioners, and attorneys appointed by a state court for a special temporary service; (9) One bailiff for the chief justice of the supreme court who shall have the powers and duties of a court officer and bailiff under section 606-14; one secretary or clerk for each justice of the supreme court, each judge of the intermediate appellate court, and each judge of the circuit court; one secretary for the judicial council; one deputy administrative director of the courts; three law clerks for the chief justice of the supreme court, two law clerks for each associate justice of the supreme court and each judge of the intermediate appellate court, one law clerk for each judge of the circuit court, two additional law clerks for the civil administrative judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, two additional law clerks for the criminal administrative judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, one additional law clerk for the senior judge of the family court of the first circuit, two additional law clerks for the civil motions judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, two additional law clerks for the criminal motions judge of the circuit court of the first circuit, and two law clerks for the administrative judge of the district court of the first circuit; and one private secretary for the administrative director of the courts, the deputy administrative director of the courts, each department head, each deputy or first assistant, and each additional deputy, or assistant deputy, or assistant defined in paragraph (16); (10) First deputy and deputy attorneys general, the administrative services manager of the department of the attorney general, one secretary for the administrative services manager, an administrator and any support staff for the criminal and juvenile justice resources coordination functions, and law clerks; (11) (A) Teachers, principals, vice-principals, complex area superintendents, deputy and assistant superintendents, other certificated personnel, and no more than twenty noncertificated administrative, professional, and technical personnel not engaged in instructional work; (B) Effective July 1, 2003, teaching assistants, educational assistants, bilingual or bicultural school-home assistants, school psychologists, psychological examiners, speech pathologists, athletic health care trainers, alternative school work study assistants, alternative school educational or supportive services specialists, alternative school project coordinators, and communications aides in the department of education; (C) The special assistant to the state librarian and one secretary for the special assistant to the state librarian; and (D) Members of the faculty of the university of Hawaii, including research workers, extension agents, personnel engaged in instructional work, and administrative, professional, and technical personnel of the university; (12) Employees engaged in special, research, or demonstration projects approved by the governor; (13) (A) Positions filled by inmates, patients of state institutions, and persons with severe physical or mental disabilities participating in the work experience training programs; (B) Positions filled with students in accordance with guidelines for established state employment programs; and (C) Positions that provide work experience training or temporary public service employment that are filled by persons entering the workforce or persons transitioning into other careers under programs such as the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998, as amended, or the Senior Community Service Employment Program of the Employment and Training Administration of the United States Department of Labor, or under other similar state programs; (14) A custodian or guide at Iolani Palace, the Royal Mausoleum, and Hulihee Palace; (15) Positions filled by persons employed on a fee, contract, or piecework basis, who may lawfully perform their duties concurrently with their private business or profession or other private employment and whose duties require only a portion of their time, if it is impracticable to ascertain or anticipate the portion of time to be devoted to the service of the State; (16) Positions of first deputies or first assistants of each department head appointed under or in the manner provided in section 6, article V, of the Hawaii State Constitution; three additional deputies or assistants either in charge of the highways, harbors, and airports divisions or other functions within the department of transportation as may be assigned by the director of transportation, with the approval of the governor; one additional deputy in the department of human services either in charge of welfare or other functions within the department as may be assigned by the director of human services; four additional deputies in the department of health, each in charge of one of the following: behavioral health, environmental health, hospitals, and health resources administration, including other functions within the department as may be assigned by the director of health, with the approval of the governor; two additional deputies in charge of the law enforcement programs, administration, or other functions within the department of law enforcement as may be assigned by the director of law enforcement, with the approval of the governor; three additional deputies each in charge of the correctional institutions, rehabilitation services and programs, and administration or other functions within the department of corrections and rehabilitation as may be assigned by the director of corrections and rehabilitation, with the approval of the governor; two administrative assistants to the state librarian; and an administrative assistant to the superintendent of education; (17) Positions specifically exempted from this part by any other law; provided that: (A) Any exemption created after July 1, 2014, shall expire three years after its enactment unless affirmatively extended by an act of the legislature; and (B) All of the positions defined by paragraph (9) shall be included in the position classification plan; (18) Positions in the state foster grandparent program and positions for temporary employment of senior citizens in occupations in which there is a severe personnel shortage or in special projects; (19) Household employees at the official residence of the president of the university of Hawaii; (20) Employees in the department of education engaged in the supervision of students during meal periods in the distribution, collection, and counting of meal tickets, and in the cleaning of classrooms after school hours on a less than half-time basis; (21) Employees hired under the tenant hire program of the Hawaii public housing authority; provided that no more than twenty-six per cent of the authority's workforce in any housing project maintained or operated by the authority shall be hired under the tenant hire program; (22) Positions of the federally funded expanded food and nutrition program of the university of Hawaii that require the hiring of nutrition program assistants who live in the areas they serve; (23) Positions filled by persons with severe disabilities who are certified by the state vocational rehabilitation office that they are able to perform safely the duties of the positions; (24) The sheriff; (25) A gender and other fairness coordinator hired by the judiciary; (26) Positions in the Hawaii National Guard youth and adult education programs; (27) In the Hawaii state energy office in the department of business, economic development, and tourism, all energy program managers, energy program specialists, energy program assistants, and energy analysts; (28) Administrative appeals hearing officers in the department of human services; (29) In the Med-QUEST division of the department of human services, the division administrator, finance officer, health care services branch administrator, medical director, and clinical standards administrator; (30) In the director's office of the department of human services, the enterprise officer, information security and privacy compliance officer, security and privacy compliance engineer, security and privacy compliance analyst, information technology implementation manager, assistant information technology implementation manager, resource manager, community or project development director, policy director, special assistant to the director, and limited English proficiency project manager or coordinator; (31) The Alzheimer's disease and related dementia services coordinator in the executive office on aging; (32) In the Hawaii emergency management agency, the executive officer, public information officer, civil defense administrative officer, branch chiefs, disability integration specialist, and emergency operations center state warning point personnel; provided that for state warning point personnel, the director shall determine that recruitment through normal civil service recruitment procedures would result in delay or noncompliance; (33) The executive director and seven full-time administrative positions of the school facilities authority; (34) Positions in the Mauna Kea stewardship and oversight authority; (35) In the office of homeland security of the department of law enforcement, the statewide interoperable communications coordinator; (36) In the social services division of the department of human services, the business technology analyst; (37) The executive director and staff of the 911 board; (38) The software developer supervisor and senior software developers in the department of taxation; (39) In the department of law enforcement, five Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., coordinator positions; (40) The state fire marshal and deputy state fire marshal in the office of the state fire marshal; (41) The administrator for the law enforcement standards board; (42) In the office of the director of taxation, the data privacy officer and tax business analysts; and [[](43)[]]All positions filled by the Hawaii tourism authority within the department of business, economic development, and tourism. The director shall determine the applicability of this section to specific positions. Nothing in this section shall be deemed to affect the civil service status of any incumbent as it existed on July 1, 1955." SECTION 3. Section 127A-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (e) to read as follows: "(e) The agency shall perform emergency management functions within the territorial limits of the State. In performing its duties, the agency shall: (1) Prepare a state comprehensive emergency management plan, which shall be integrated into and coordinated with the emergency management plans of the federal government. The plan shall be integrated by a continuous, integrated comprehensive emergency management program. The plan shall contain provisions to ensure that the State prepares for, mitigates against, responds to, and recovers from emergencies and minor, major, and catastrophic disasters. In preparing and maintaining the plan, the agency shall work closely with agencies and organizations with emergency management responsibilities; (2) Assign lead and support responsibilities to state agencies and personnel for emergency management functions and other support activities; (3) Adopt standards and requirements for county emergency management plans. The standards and requirements shall ensure that county plans are coordinated and consistent with the state comprehensive emergency management plan; (4) Make recommendations to the legislature, building code organizations, and counties for zoning, building, and other land use controls; and other preparedness, prevention, and mitigation measures designed to eliminate emergencies or reduce their impact; (5) Anticipate trends and promote innovations that will enhance the emergency management system; (6) Institute statewide public awareness programs. This shall include intensive public educational campaigns on emergency preparedness issues, including but not limited to the personal responsibility of individual citizens to be self-sufficient for up to fourteen days following a natural or human-caused disaster; (7) Coordinate federal, state, and local emergency management activities and take all other steps, including the partial or full mobilization of emergency management forces and organizations in advance of an actual emergency, to ensure the availability of adequately trained and equipped forces of emergency management personnel before, during, and after emergencies and disasters; (8) Implement training programs to improve the ability of state and local emergency management personnel to prepare and implement emergency management plans and programs. This shall include a continuous training program for agencies and individuals that will be called on to perform key roles in state and local post-disaster response and recovery efforts and for local government personnel on federal and state post-disaster response and recovery strategies and procedures; (9) Adopt standards and requirements for state agency emergency operating procedures and periodically review emergency operating procedures of state agencies and recommend revisions as needed to ensure consistency with the state comprehensive emergency management plan and program; [and] (10) Coordinate, in advance whenever possible, such executive orders, proclamations, and rules for issuance by the governor as are necessary or appropriate for coping with emergencies and disasters[.]; and (11) Ensure compliance with paragraphs (1) to (10), the Americans with Disabilities Act, and related federal and state disability access laws by: (A) Integrating the needs of individuals with disabilities and others with access and functional needs into emergency planning, preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation activities, including accessible and alternative communication formats and series to ensure effective communication in all phases of disaster management; (B) Advising on accessibility requirements and current best and promising practices for emergency shelters, evacuation procedures, and disaster communications; (C) Supporting continuity of preparedness and response in all counties across the State; and (D) Interfacing with disability advocacy organizations, service providers, and community members to strengthen inclusive disaster preparedness and response." SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $100,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027, for the establishment of one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) disability integration specialist position, which shall serve as the emergency management specialist and which shall be exempt from chapter 76, Hawaii Revised Statutes, within the Hawaii emergency management agency. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the Hawaii emergency management agency for the purposes of this Act. SECTION 5. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored. SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.
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