Bill Text: HI HCR142 | 2018 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Urging The Decrease Of Military Spending And Reallocation Of Federal Funds To Increase Federal Investment In Addressing Environmental And Human Health Concerns And For Debt Reduction.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-03-13 - Referred to VMI/EEP/HHS, FIN, referral sheet 39 [HCR142 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2018-HCR142-Introduced.html
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
142 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING THE DECREASE OF MILITARY SPENDING AND REALLOCATION OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO INCREASE FEDERAL INVESTMENT IN addressing ENVIRONMENTAL AND HUMAN HEALTH CONCERNS AND FOR DEBT REDUCTION.
WHEREAS, the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events, droughts, flooding, sea level rise, retreating glaciers, habitat shifts, and the increased spread of life-threatening disease, are a serious threat to the United States' national security and to global peace and stability; and
WHEREAS, the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review categorizes the adverse impacts of a changing climate as "threat multipliers," escalating security threats abroad, such as poverty, environmental degradation, political instability, and social tensions; and
WHEREAS, the prioritization of military spending over environmental investment and protection is a real and severe threat to the people of Hawaii and other Americans; and
WHEREAS, while the President of the United States has proposed a $54,000,000,000 increase in military spending, polls indicate that the majority of Americans strongly favor a reduction of $41,000,000,000; and
WHEREAS, the United States military budget is bigger than the next eight nations' military expenditures combined, six of which are recognized allies to the United States; and
WHEREAS, the United States national debt stands at $19,900,000,000,000; and
WHEREAS, increased military expenditures are inhibiting the ability of the United States to effectively address modern environmental challenges, including the nation's ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change and its adverse impacts; and
WHEREAS, investment in national and international environmental issues, especially concerning climate change, constitutes an effective and necessary conflict-prevention measure against the destabilizing and potentially violent impacts of climate change and environmental degradation; and
WHEREAS, the de-escalation of armed conflict abroad is a critical step to alleviate the global refugee crisis and reduce the number of refugees petitioning for asylum status in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Hawaii, as the only island-state in the nation, is highly vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change, such as heightened natural weather events and sea-level rise; and
WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii remains an important geostrategic military partner for national policy aims in the Pacific and Asian region; and
WHEREAS, this body recognizes climate change as real and as the overriding challenge of the twenty-first century, posing immediate and long-term threats to the State's economy, sustainability, security, and way of life; and
WHEREAS, the 2017 National Security Strategy affirms the advancement of a national approach that balances energy security, economic development, and environmental protection that will allow the United States to remain a global leader in pollution reduction, including greenhouse gases; and
WHEREAS, the United States House of Representatives' 2017 Republican Climate Resolution observed that climate change will have "noticeable, negative impacts that are expected to worsen in every region of the United States and its territories" and that "increased pollutants and other factors contribute to local, regional, and national environmental and human health impacts"; and
WHEREAS, efforts to mitigate the risks of, prepare for, or adapt to our changing climate and its effects "will not constrain the United States economy, especially in regards to global competitiveness" as affirmed by the 2017 Republican Climate Resolution; and
WHEREAS, the prioritization of funds to environmental security solutions from general military expenditures is a viable, convincing, and ultimately necessary national security strategy; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the Senate concurring, that the President of the United States and members of the United States Congress are strongly urged to immediately decrease military expenditures and reallocate federal funds to increased environmental and human protection and debt reduction; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the national security consequences of climate change must be fully integrated into national security and national defense strategies, and explicitly address the threat of climate change to our national security interests; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States should commit to a stronger national and international role to assist with global stabilization of climate change to avoid significant disruption to global security and stability; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States should commit to global partnerships and cooperation with its allies that address modern environmental challenges, such as global industrialization and transboundary air and water pollution, and develop the capacity and resiliency to better mitigate and manage adverse climate impacts; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, United States Secretary of Energy, United States Secretary of Defense, Chairperson of the United States Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Chairperson of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services, Chairperson of the United States House Committee on Natural Resources, and Chairperson of the United States House Committee on Armed Services.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Federal Military Spending; Climate Change; Environmental Protections
