SB 1379 Summary

• Establishes the Community Readiness Centers Program within the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to provide emergency preparedness training, supplies, medical care, electrical charging, internet access, and medical supply refrigeration during and after disasters.

• Creates the Community Readiness Centers Special Fund to finance the program through legislative appropriations, interest earnings, and portions of the environmental response, energy, food security, and resilience tax on petroleum and fossil fuels.

• Renames the "Environmental Response, Energy, and Food Security Tax" to the "Environmental Response, Energy, Food Security, and Resilience Tax" and allocates a portion of tax revenues to the new special fund.

• Requires community readiness centers to include solar panels, backup battery storage systems, and comply with International Code Council 500 standards to withstand 250 mph winds or Category 5 hurricanes when newly constructed.

• Appropriates funds for fiscal year 2025-2026 to acquire land for community readiness centers and an emergency operations center on a specified parcel (tax map key (1) 9-5-002-003), with appropriations not lapsing until June 30, 2027.