HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	187
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Urging the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to Include in all live and recorded Emergency Alert System video broadcasts, an on-screen interpreter disseminating the emergency information in American sign language at all times, including during graphic presentations.

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency established within the State Department of Defense plans for and responds to both natural and human-caused emergencies, including emergencies resulting from all hazards, including tsunamis, wildfires, and hurricanes, and incidents involving hazardous materials or nuclear power; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency manages Hawaii's Emergency Alert System (EAS), which is a public alert and warning system that leverages the communications assets of EAS participants, including terrestrial broadcasters, cable television systems, wireless cable systems, satellite digital audio radio service providers, direct broadcast satellite services, and wireline video service providers, to allow the President of the United States the capability to address the American public during a national emergency; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's EAS is also used by State and local authorities to deliver important emergency information, including America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) alerts and the National Weather Service's emergency weather alerts and advisories; and

 

     WHEREAS, upon eruptions of volcanos, information that is critical to the safety of Hawaii residents, including volcano alert levels, aviation threat levels, seismic activity levels, lava flow, and other threats to the community are disseminated to the public through the EAS; and

 

     WHEREAS, due to the critical nature of EAS alerts and warnings, and to prevent confusion caused by misinformation, lack of information, or difficulty in finding accurate information following sudden disasters, EAS broadcasts should be provided using every communication tool available; and

 

     WHEREAS, during the recent volcano eruptions on Hawaii Island, the EAS live video broadcasts did not consistently provide American Sign Language interpretation on screen, thereby depriving many Hawaii residents who are deaf or hard of hearing of emergency information that is imperative for the protection of their lives and property; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the Senate concurring, that the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency is urged to:

 

     (1)  Include in all live and recorded EAS video broadcasts, an on-screen interpreter disseminating the emergency information in American Sign Language at all times, including during graphic presentations;

 

     (2)  Provide training for American Sign Language interpreters by including them in all training provided to EAS broadcasters; and

 

     (3)  Have all video broadcasts have one camera showing the American Sign Language interpreter at all times; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor and Adjutant General.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Deaf and Blind Task Force; Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA); Emergency Alert System (EAS)