REPRESENTATIVE GREGG TAKAYAMA APPOINTED CO-CHAIR ON NATIONAL DISASTER RECOVERY STUDY GROUP

Bi-partisan committee focuses public-private cooperation in emergencies

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi – Hawai‘i State Representative Gregg Takayama was appointed Co-Chair of a national steering committee on public-private partnerships on emergency management at the National Council of State Legislatures (NCSL) Legislative Summit last week in Nashville, Tennessee.

The newly formed committee is intended to provide legislators and private sector partners a chance to engage on the future of disaster mitigation and recovery, and pursue coordination between federal, state and private sectors over the next 18 months.

"Although both the federal and state governments have demonstrated a clear emphasis on this issue, coordination and cooperation between these levels of government, as well as the private and nonprofit sectors, needs improvement," said the NCSL Foundation in announcing the formation of the committee.

"Hawai‘i is known nationally for the wide variety of emergencies we’ve faced, from volcanic eruptions to floods to brushes with hurricanes. I look forward to working with our Democratic and

Republican colleagues across the country to improve our responses to disasters and better prepare for them," said Rep. Takayama (D-Pearl City, Waimalu, Pacific Palisades), who chairs the House Committee on Public Safety, Veterans & Military Affairs.

Rep. Takayama's fellow co-chair is Rep. Holly Raschein (R-Fla.), and the committee consists of 14 legislators, including State Rep. Joy San Buenaventura (D-Puna), and six members from the private sector.