STAND. COM. REP. NO. 820

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1523

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 1523 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE STATE BOARD OF PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS, SURVEYORS AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the State Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and Landscape Architects (State Board) to, upon its denial of an application for licensure, provide the applicant with a written notice of denial accompanied by a written explanation describing the reasons for the State Board's denial.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Planning and Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Board of Professional Engineers, Architects, Surveyors, and Landscape Architects.

Your Committee finds that applicants who are denied an engineer, architect, surveyor, or landscape architect license should be advised of the reasons that their application was denied so they can focus on how to correct, supplement, or improve their application for proper qualification. This measure requires the State Board to provide applicants who were denied licensure a written explanation of the reason for their denial.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

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 S.B. No. 1523, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1523, 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,

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair