STAND. COM. REP. NO. 682-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1758

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 1758 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to clarify, for purposes of determining a person's eligibility for licensure as a professional engineer, that lawful experience in engineering work includes plan review of electrical, plumbing, and building plans.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one member of the Honolulu City Council; Department of Planning and Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu; County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department; EAH Housing; Stanford Carr Development; Pacific Resource Partnership; Building Industry Association of Hawaii; and two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and Landscape Architects; and American Institute of Architects, Hawaii State Council.

Your Committee finds that local government agencies are having difficulty recruiting and retaining engineers, as the agencies are unable to compete with private industries and federal agencies that can offer more competitive salaries to engineers. Your Committee further finds that professional-level government engineering experience entails a suitable and comprehensive standard of competency in engineering through the required review and approval of engineering projects under pertinent codes, ordinances, and laws. This measure incentivizes new engineering graduates to pursue an engineering career in public service by providing a pathway to licensure as a professional engineer through relevant professional-level government employment.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying with greater specificity that lawful experience in engineering work includes code compliance review of plans for construction applicable to the specific engineering field; and

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1758, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1758, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair