STAND. COM. REP. NO. 988-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1700

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1700, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to include housing projects for individuals with disabilities and individuals with access and functional needs as eligible projects to apply for expedited permits.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi State Council on Developmental Disabilities; Disability and Communication Access Board; Hawaii Disability Rights Center; Navian Hawaii; Housing Hawaiʻi's Future; Aloha Independent Living Hawaii; ALS Network; and four individuals.

Your Committee finds that expedited permitting is a strategy that has been shown to reduce development delays and costs, which can be particularly burdensome for projects serving vulnerable populations. By explicitly including housing projects that target individuals with disabilities and those with access and functional needs, this measure addresses barriers that have limited the availability of accessible units and slowed progress toward a more inclusive housing landscape in the State.

Your Committee notes that it believes that nothing in this measure preempts the Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Housing Act, state accessibility standards, or county building codes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1700, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair