STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3483

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 1758

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1758, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent 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 code compliance review of plans for construction applicable to the specific engineering field.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Resources of the City and County of Honolulu; Pacific Resource Partnership; EAH Housing; and Stanford Carr Development, LLC.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and Landscape Architects.

Your Committee finds that local government agencies such as counties are having a difficult time recruiting and retaining engineers, as these agencies are unable to compete with the more competitive salaries offered by the private sector and federal government. Your Committee finds that it is in the public interest to provide prospective county engineers with a clear career path that will allow them to receive their professional licensure and help encourage them to remain in government service. Separately, increasing the number of county engineers will help alleviate the current back log in permitting and construction, which will indirectly support the construction of housing throughout the State. This measure will enable current plans examining engineers in local permitting agencies, who gain experience from reviewing electrical, plumbing, and building plans, to count their work hours towards the prerequisites to sit for the professional engineer license written examination. As a result, this measure will provide a clear path to promotion through licensure for these engineers, address the shortage of licensed plans examining engineers in the local government, and facilitate the timely issuance of permits to the benefit of the community.

Your Committee notes the concerns raised in testimony that a person who reviews plans and calculations may be aware of building codes, but the person is not performing integrated design or other standard engineering practices, and therefore, only accepting one hundred percent plan review as qualifying experience to take the professional engineer license written examination may jeopardize the health, safety, and welfare of consumers. Accordingly, there is a need to amend this measure to address this concern.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by clarifying that only employees of a municipality may apply their experience in code compliance review of construction plans towards the required "lawful experience in engineering work" necessary to qualify for professional engineer licensure.

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

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

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JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair