STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2855

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2673

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2673, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE COUNTIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish statewide permitting data standards and to require counties to report on certain permit applications under those standards.

Specifically, this measure:

(1) Requires the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and the Chief Data Officer to create a statewide permitting data standard to be used by the counties for reporting permitting data;

(2) Requires each county to use the statewide standards to publish on its website certain data on building and civil engineering permit applications administered by that county;

(3) Requires the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development and the Chief Data Officer to submit a report to the Legislature before the Regular Session of 2027; and

(4) Appropriates moneys to the counties to establish and administer data collection and data reporting process.

Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Office of Enterprise Technology Services and Office of Planning and Sustainable Development.

Your Committee finds that maintaining consistent and comparable data across counties would enable the State to better identify gaps and address deficiencies in construction permitting processes. The standardized data required by this measure will help expedite permitting and advance the State’s broader affordable housing and infrastructure objectives.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2673, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair