Bill
HJ 56
HJ56 directs an interim study of state search-and-rescue services and funding, delivering findings and potential policy recommendations for future legislation.
Status: Filed with Secretary of State (May 6, 2025)
Introduced: March 27, 2025
Sponsor: Rep. Braxton Mitchell (primary)
Type: Joint resolution — interim study (replaces LC 4482)
HJ 56 establishes a legislative study to review the state of search and rescue (SAR) services and the funding mechanisms that support those services. The resolution directs the Legislature (or a designated legislative committee/study group) to examine operational, organizational, legal, and fiscal issues affecting SAR activities and to develop findings and potential policy recommendations for future legislative action.
The bill’s text is a study resolution rather than an implementing statute. Typical elements of such a resolution — consistent with the title and legislative practice — include:
- Directing an interim study on search and rescue services and funding across the state.
- Identifying topics for review such as roles and responsibilities of state and local agencies (sheriffs, fire districts, state natural resources or emergency management agencies), volunteer SAR teams, aviation and water rescue assets, training and credentialing, equipment and technology needs, mutual-aid and coordination, liability and reimbursement policies, and existing funding sources (state, local, federal, grants, donations).
- Specifying who will carry out the study (Legislative Council staff or a named standing committee/subcommittee), membership or invitees (legislators, agency representatives, local government, volunteer organizations), and procedures for hearings or information gathering.
- Requiring a final report of findings and any recommended statutory or budgetary changes to the Legislature by a set date (typical practice is submission before the next regular session).
HJ 56 does not itself appropriate funds or change operational law; it creates a fact-finding process. The study’s findings could lead to:
- Legislative proposals to change funding formulas, reimbursement, or grant programs.
- Recommendations for statutory clarification of agency and local responsibilities.
- Proposals for equipment, training, or statewide coordination investments that would require future appropriations.
Notes: The full text of the resolution was not provided here; this summary describes the resolution’s purpose, expected structure, and likely scope based on its title, classification, and legislative actions.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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