HI SR33

Requests the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development to convene a working group to evaluate establishing an Office of Resilience and Recovery and determine its 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 Chairperson, Adjutant General, State Fire Marshal, Hawaii Emergency Management Agency Administrator, State Fire Council Chair, one Senate member, one House member, emergency management directors from Honolulu and the counties, and a representative from the American Red Cross of Hawaii.

Working group must 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 permanent administrative placement recommendation, to the Legislature by November 30, 2025.

Reflects recommendations from the Hawaiʻi Climate Advisory Team, established after the 2023 Maui wildfires that caused over 100 deaths and approximately $12 billion in damages.