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Senate committees defer decision on bill to re-establish State Fire Marshal office; placement and oversight unresolved
Summary
Lawmakers heard broad support for a bill to re-create the Office of the State Fire Marshal after the 2023 Maui wildfires but deferred decision to allow more negotiation over where the office should sit — the governor’s office or the Department of Defense.
Senate members of the Public Safety and Military Affairs and Labor and Technology committees heard testimony March 10 on House Bill 1064, which would effectuate recommendations from the Fire Safety Research Institute’s Phase 3 report on the August 2023 Maui wildfires, clarify the role of the State Fire Marshal and appropriate funds for the office.
The measure drew supportive testimony from state and local agencies, utilities and advocacy groups, but officials and the governor’s office signaled disagreement about where the new office should be administratively placed. Michael Walker, identified as the statewide fire protection forester for the…
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