STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3957

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2423

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 2423, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require all state building construction projects and state highway projects to use building and construction materials that seek to reduce their carbon footprint, where feasible and cost effective.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation, one member of the Hawai‘i County Council, Climate Protectors Hawai‘i, Kauai Women's Caucus, Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, 350Hawaii.org, Life of the Land, and ten individuals. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual.

Your Committees find that reducing a building or highway's carbon footprint is increasingly important in building design. State building designs for new building and highway projects can avoid copious amounts of greenhouse gas emissions and save taxpayers money if agencies consider how to reduce their carbon footprint. Reducing the State's carbon footprint by requiring the use of lower carbon technologies in its buildings, highways, and other public works projects is vital in furthering the State's goal of becoming carbon negative as soon as practicable but not later than 2045.

Your Committees have amended this measure by inserting an effective date of July 30, 2075, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2423, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2423, H.D. 1, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Judiciary and Ways and Means,

________________________________ DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair

________________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair