THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2066

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO COUNTY PERMITTING AND INSPECTION.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the State submits hundreds of building permit applications each year to county permitting departments.  The allocated costs for the projects total hundreds of millions of dollars and support thousands of jobs but often face considerable delays in the permit approval process.  During 2022 and 2023, more than ninety per cent of all state building permit applications submitted to the department of planning and permitting of the city and county of Honolulu took longer than one hundred eighty days to obtain approval, with the average approval length being approximately six hundred days.  This processing time was approximately six times longer than the average private sector building permit application approval time, and the delays increased state costs by more than $30,000,000 due to inflation.  The legislature believes that further information is necessary to understand the permitting inefficiencies when state projects require permitting by the counties.

     Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to establish a cooperative working group to address state projects that require county permitting and to make recommendations on streamlining permitting processes.

     SECTION 2.  (a)  There is established a cooperative working group to address state projects that require county permitting.

     (b)  The working group shall explore, research, and make recommendations on streamlining permitting processes exclusively for state projects with county permitting needs.

     (c)  The working group shall consist of the following members:

     (1)  One member of the Hawaii state senate, to be appointed by the senate president, who shall serve as co-chair of the working group;

     (2)  One member of the house of representatives, to be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, who shall serve as co-chair of the working group;

     (3)  The comptroller, or their designee;

     (4)  The chairperson of the board of land and natural resources;

     (5)  The director of transportation, or their designee;

     (6)  The executive director of the Hawaii community development authority, or their designee;

     (7)  The executive director of the Hawaii housing finance and development corporation, or their designee;

     (8)  The director of the office of planning and sustainable development, or their designee;

     (9)  The chief energy officer, or their designee;

    (10)  The chief of the wastewater branch of the department of health, or their designee;

    (11)  The chair of the state building code council of the department of accounting and general services, or their designee; and

    (12)  One representative from each county planning and permitting department, to be invited by the co-chairs of the working group.

     (d)  The cooperative working group shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2027.

     (e)  The members of the cooperative working group shall serve without compensation for their service on the working group but shall be reimbursed for any costs incurred in carrying out their duties as members of the working group.

     (f)  The cooperative working group shall cease to exist on June 30, 2027.

     SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $           or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the counties to address staffing and personnel shortages in planning and permitting departments, to be allocated as follows:

     (1)  $            to the county of Hawaii;

     (2)  $            to the city and county of Honolulu;

     (3)  $            to the county of Kauai; and

     (4)  $            to the county of Maui;

provided that the funds shall be expended only for staffing and personnel dedicated to working on state projects.

     The sum appropriated shall be expended by the counties for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on April 19, 2042.

 

Report Title:

State Agencies; Counties; State Projects; County Building Permit Requirements; Cooperative Working Group; Report; Appropriation

 

Description:

Establishes a cooperative working group to address state projects that require county permitting and to explore, research, and make recommendations on streamlining processes.  Requires a report to the Legislature.  Appropriates funds.  Effective 4/19/2042.  (SD1)

 

 

 

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