Committee hears bill to create state civil air patrol to improve emergency coordination
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Summary
House Bill 2357 would create a Washington state civil air patrol under the Military Department to streamline use of Civil Air Patrol volunteers, aircraft and drones in state emergencies. Military leaders and veterans groups backed the change and said it would not alter federal Civil Air Patrol authorities.
The committee considered House Bill 2357, which would establish a Washington state civil air patrol as part of the Washington Military Department to coordinate volunteer capabilities, aircraft and unmanned systems for emergency response, cadet training and aerospace education.
Committee staff summarized the bill, saying it designates membership to include volunteers from the Federal Civil Air Patrol’s Washington Wing, military department officers, enlisted personnel and cadets; it allows the governor to order the state civil air patrol into active service for disaster relief, search and rescue and similar missions; and it permits reimbursement for expenses when the state civil air patrol cooperates with other public entities.
Military Department and CAP leaders described operational benefits. The state adjutant general (Gent Welch, director of the Military Department) and Colonel Sid Wiggs (commander, Washington Wing, Civil Air Patrol) supported the bill. They said it would clarify coordination, improve mission responsiveness during disasters (for example, aerial surveys and photography used in recent Skagit County flooding), and not change federal CAP authorities or create National Guard mobilization powers. The adjutant general characterized the proposal as modeled on legislation used in Kansas and said National CAP and U.S. Air Force offices reviewed the language and expressed support.
Veterans groups also endorsed the measure. Charles Wharton of AMVETS said additional aerial capacity helps in wildfire and flood response, and urged enactment before fire season.
What’s next. Committee members asked questions about authority transfer and funding during state activation; panelists said federal funding would govern federally activated missions while state activations would use the governor’s disaster response funding streams and that dual-hatting could be managed operationally. The committee closed the hearing with no amendments requested at that time.
