Informing the Legislature that on July 8, 2025, the Governor signed the following bill into law: HB1064 HD2 SD2 CD1 (ACT 302).

This bill establishes the Office of the State Fire Marshal within the Department of Law Enforcement to strengthen wildfire preparedness and response across Hawaii. It implements recommendations from the 2023 Maui wildfires investigation by defining key terms like "defensible space" (clearing vegetation around buildings) and "structure hardening" (retrofitting buildings to resist fire), and assigns the office specific duties including reviewing fire risks, coordinating with local agencies, and proposing updates to the state fire code. The law creates a selection commission for the State Fire Marshal and reorganizes responsibilities between the state office and county fire agencies to improve coordination. This directly affects all Hawaii counties and fire protection agencies by formalizing a centralized authority for wildfire safety planning and enforcement.