STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1177-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2442

H.D. 2

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. 2442, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PARKING FOR DISABLED PERSONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to, beginning July 1, 2027, increase the number of required accessible and van accessible parking spaces in parking lots with more than twenty-five parking spaces that are covered by Title II or III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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; Aloha Independent Living Hawaii; and four individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi System.

Your Committee finds that a significant portion of Hawaii's population has mobility impairments that qualify them for disability parking permits, and that inadequate access to appropriately located parking spaces limits community participation, reduces access to goods and services, and increases the risk of injury, particularly among older adults. This measure will ensure sufficient accessible and van accessible parking in larger parking facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act and promote public safety, accessibility, and inclusion.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying the applicability and terminology to conform with the Americans with Disabilities Act parking framework;

(2) Amending the required van-accessible parking requirements for certain parking space ranges to reflect the "one in every three" standard, and clarifying that this standard continues to apply when accessible parking spaces are provided in excess of the minimum number required;

(3) Providing an exception for public entities, including institutions of higher education, that manage large inventories of parking spaces and are otherwise in compliance with the design standards and requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act; and

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

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. 2442, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2442, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair