STAND. COM. REP. NO. 448-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1980

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 Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 1980 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a statewide goal to retrofit state facilities to be electric vehicle charger‑ready;

(2) Require the design of all new state building construction where parking is to be included to provide that at least twenty-five percent of parking stalls be electric vehicle charger-ready;

(3) Require the Hawaii State Energy Office, in consultation with the Department of Accounting and General Services and the Department of Transportation, to conduct a survey and identify certain high-priority state facilities for retrofitting parking to be electric vehicle charger-ready; and

(4) Appropriate funds to assess and retrofit electric vehicle charging infrastructure at those high‑priority state facilities.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Accounting and General Services; Hawaiʻi Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission; 350Hawaii.org; Imua Alliance; Alliance for Automotive Innovation; Climate Protectors Hawaiʻi; and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaii State Energy Office.

Your Committee finds that although electric vehicle adoption in the State is increasing rapidly, insufficient charging infrastructure, particularly at workplaces and state‑owned facilities, limits participation in clean transportation. Your Committee further finds that creating electric vehicle charger-ready state buildings and retrofitting existing facilities will expand access to daytime charging, support renters and residents without home-charging options, and reduce strain on the electric grid. This measure ensures that new state buildings are electric vehicle charger-ready and requires a survey to identify certain high-priority state facilities to be retrofitted to include electric vehicle charger-ready parking.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that the Hawaii State Energy Office is required to consult with all state agencies that have parking facilities to conduct a survey identifying high-priority state facilities, rather than only the Department of Accounting and General Services and Department of Transportation; and

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $300,000 for the cost assessment to determine the costs to install, or contract for the installation of, retrofits and electric vehicle charging systems at high-priority state facilities.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1980, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1980, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair