Bill > HB2581

This bill, effective July 1, 3000, aims to clarify the scope of emergency powers granted to the governor and county mayors in Hawaii by amending Chapter 127A of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, which deals with emergency management. The legislature finds that a recent court decision may have expanded these powers too broadly, potentially allowing the executive branch to address long-term policy issues like affordable housing, which the legislature believes should remain its exclusive domain. Therefore, this bill introduces a new definition for "catastrophic harm" to mean extreme loss of life, mass casualties, life-threatening injuries to many, or the sudden failure of critical infrastructure. It then redefines "disaster" to specifically refer to the occurrence or imminent threat of widespread or severe damage, injury, or loss resulting from sudden natural or artificial causes, such as natural disasters, accidents, or acts of terrorism, that necessitates outside assistance. Similarly, "emergency" is redefined to mean the occurrence or imminent threat of a disaster that causes or may cause catastrophic harm and immediate danger to the population, substantial damage to property or the environment, and that can be averted or minimized by timely action. Essentially, the bill seeks to limit the governor's and mayors' emergency powers to responding to sudden, large-scale, and destructive events rather than ongoing societal problems.

Budget and Finance, Justice, Military Affairs and Security

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=2581&year=2026