STAND. COM. REP. NO. 144-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1967

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 Economic Development & Technology, to which was referred H.B. No. 1967 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PERMITTING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require and appropriate funds for the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to:

(1) Develop a permitting workforce pipeline in partnership with the University of Hawaii and community colleges; and

(2) Coordinate with state and county permitting agencies on certain tasks related to the classification levels, salary and benefits, hiring, and responsibilities of employees.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; Chamber of Commerce Hawaii; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; Maui Chamber of Commerce; Holomua Collaborative; and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi System.

Your Committee finds that the Simplifying Permitting for Enhanced Economic Development (SPEED) Task Force was established pursuant to Act 133, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025, to identify actions taken, challenges encountered, and legislative measures needed to facilitate, expedite, and coordinate state and intergovernmental permitting processes. Your Committee further finds that in the SPEED Task Force's December 2025 Final Report, it identified issues related to understaffing and recruitment of permitting agency employees as a common impediment to the permitting process. The SPEED Task Force recommended that the Legislature invest in a long-term permitting workforce strategy to help address these issues. This measure therefore implements this recommendation by requiring the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to develop a permitting workforce pipeline and coordinate permitting agencies on certain workforce-related tasks.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the permitting workforce pipeline shall utilize existing academic programs at the University Hawaii and community colleges;

(2) Clarifying that tuition incentives may be structured as reimbursement, loan repayment, or post-service loan forgiveness;

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $200,000.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Economic Development & Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1967, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1967, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Higher Education.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development & Technology,

____________________________

GREGGOR ILAGAN, Chair