STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2001-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 2671

S.D. 1

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 Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 2671, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ESSENTIAL PERMITTING POSITIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize the mayor of each county with a population of less than five hundred thousand to implement a pilot program to improve the speed, accountability, and quality of permit processing within that county through targeted staffing, performance incentives, and interdepartmental competition;

(2) Authorize increased pay for essential permitting positions and require county personnel departments to prioritize the hiring of essential permitting positions as part of the pilot program;

(3) Require participating county mayors and county agencies to establish goals and metrics for the pilot program; and

(4) Require participating county agencies to submit quarterly reports to the respective county councils on the pilot program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Mayor of the County of Maui; Chamber of Commerce Hawaii; General Contractors Association of Hawaii; Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME Local 152, AFL-CIO; Maui Chamber of Commerce; and Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2671, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

CHRIS TODD, Chair