STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2471

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2811

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 Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 2811 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STATE BUILDING PROJECTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish the State Building Permit Process Task Force within the Department of Accounting and General Services to evaluate the challenges, opportunities, and legislative actions necessary to establish a State Building Permit Review Office for state projects located on state-owned lands; and

(2) Appropriate funds for the staffing and administrative costs of the State Building Permit Process Task Force.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Accounting and General Services, Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, and Hawaii Community Development Authority.

Your Committee finds that building permit review and approval is one of the many regulatory hurdles in real estate development. Your Committee further finds that, when the State, either directly or through qualified developers, undertakes state projects, including building affordable housing, delays in the existing county permitting process can result in increased costs and postponed delivery of much-needed public facilities. Your Committee believes that having a single point of responsibility and accountability for state projects via a State Building Permit Review Office may streamline the building permitting process and reduce project costs. This measure launches efforts to expedite permit review and approvals for state projects by convening a task force to research and report on the potential for a State Building Permit Review Office.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the appropriation amount from $1,000,000 to an unspecified amount to facilitate further discussion;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2525, to encourage further discussion; and

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

Your Committee notes that this measure, as amended, contains an unspecified appropriation amount. Should your Committee on Ways and Means choose to deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider inserting an appropriation amount of $1,000,000 for the staffing and administrative costs of the State Building Permit Process Task Force.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2811, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2811, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Government Operations,

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ANGUS L.K. MCKELVEY, Chair