Opponents urge delay on bill to fund military–community coordination office after angry public hearing

The House Public Safety Committee deferred action on Senate Bill 3240 on March 16 after an extended public hearing that drew hundreds of written submissions and multiple hours of in-room and Zoom testimony.

The bill would appropriate funds to the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to support the Military and Community Relations Office (MACRO), a state office that proponents say coordinates intergovernmental support for military and defense activities. John Green, deputy director for the Military and Community Relations Office, told the committee the requested funding would not go directly "to the military" but to the office to carry out work described in the bill, including helping local businesses meet Department of Defense contracting requirements and supporting cybersecurity and workforce programs. "We have a annual report that we have to list our accomplishments," Green said, noting MACRO helped secure a $16 million intergovernmental agreement for Kalaeloa electrical infrastructure and worked with state agencies on cyber and school projects.

Opponents framed a different concern: many speakers said the bill would institutionalize deeper military influence in state economic strategy and in K–12 classrooms. Tanya Anisazian of the Chamber of Sustainable Commerce urged members to reject the proposal, saying DBEDT "is the central hub of Hawaii's economic future" and that embedding military-funded programs risks narrowing school curricula and economic planning. "Education should open worlds for young people and not narrow them," she said.

Other opponents used stronger language to describe the bill's effects. Christina Holt, speaking via Zoom, said the proposal served the wrong interests and called for referral: "If we genuinely want to develop Hawaii's workforce, we can fund the Department of Education directly. We do not need to hand the Pentagon a propaganda office to justify education." Several speakers explicitly objected to military outreach in K–12 and asked the committee to remove or narrow any language that could be read as recruitment-focused; John Green said the office "is not recruiting for the Department of Defense" and that any K–12 language could be limited to junior high through 12th grade and written to exclude recruitment.

The hearing included two related procedural complaints: some testifiers said resubmitted testimony after a weather-related rescheduling was not consistently notified, and members acknowledged room for improving notice to participants. Committee members asked detailed questions about funding flow, federal impact-aid, whether MACRO's work favors in-state firms over outside contractors, and safeguards to prevent recruitment in schools. Green and Chamber representatives said the office helps local businesses comply with federal contracting requirements (for example, Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) and promotes dual-use workforce training (cyber, STEM, trades) that is not specific to military service.

After hearing more than 100 in-room and online speakers and acknowledging hundreds of written submissions in opposition, the committee deferred SB 3240 to decision-making on Wednesday, March 18 at 11:00 a.m. The committee left open the possibility of amended language limiting K–12 engagement and clarifying that appropriated funds support the state office and community-facing programs rather than direct military activities.

The committee did not take a final vote on SB 3240 during this session; members said the additional time will allow staff to consider amendments and further information requested from proponents.