HI SCR51

Requests the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to convene a working group to evaluate establishing an Office of Resilience and Recovery and determining its appropriate administrative placement within state government.

Working group composition includes 15 members: the Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development (chair), State Recovery Coordinator, Attorney General, Board of Land and Natural Resources chair, Adjutant General, State Fire Marshal, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator, State Fire Council chair, one Senate member, one House member, and representatives from county emergency management agencies and American Red Cross.

Working group is requested to determine which principal state department should house the Office of Resilience and Recovery and define its relationship with the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.

Requires the working group to submit findings and recommendations, including a recommendation for permanent administrative placement of the Office of Resilience and Recovery, to the Legislature by November 30, 2025.

Resolution references the Maui wildfires (over 100 fatalities, $12 billion in damages) and the Hawaii Climate Advisory Team's January 2025 recommendation to establish a permanent resilience office for disaster preparedness and response coordination.