STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2362

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2936

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Transportation, to which was referred S.B. No. 2936 entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to 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 Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Disability and Communication Access Board, Hawaii Disability Rights Center, and four individuals.

Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Retail Merchants of Hawaii.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi System.

Your Committees find that accessible parking is a foundational access issue for people with disabilities and older adults. Your Committees further find that when accessible and van accessible parking spaces are insufficient, people with disabilities are effectively excluded from participating in community life, accessing services, and engaging in employment, commerce, and civic activities. This measure promotes community integration, safety, and equal access for people with disabilities by updating parking requirements to better reflect real-world demand.

Your Committees note the concerns raised in testimony by the Retail Merchants of Hawaii that requiring additional parking space conversions without a demonstrated need would reduce overall parking availability without necessarily improving access. Accordingly, your Committees request advocates of this measure to provide details and statistics on the availability of disability parking permit placards in each county and whether that capacity would be sufficient to support this measure's proposed disability parking space requirements.

Your Committees further note the concerns raised in testimony by the University of Hawaii that many university campuses are large and complex, with a diverse parking system that includes multiple parking structures, surface lots, and roadway parking distributed across a challenging topography. Currently, accessible parking is managed using an aggregated, zone-based approach that aligns with campus access patterns and operational needs. Without an exception, the University of Hawaii and similar entities may be expected to significantly and materially alter the way it manages its parking inventory, reducing overall parking capacity and increasing operational complexity related to enforcement, permitting, and customer service. Therefore, amendments to this measure are necessary to address this concern.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting language to exempt public entities, including the University of Hawaii, that manage an aggregate inventory of a certain number of parking stalls in one or more locations; provided that the entity's parking facilities are in compliance with the accessible parking requirements of title 28 Code of Federal Regulations parts 35 and 36 and any applicable county ordinance governing accessible parking;

(2) Inserting an effective date of January 30, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services and Transportation that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2936, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2936, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Human Services and Transportation,

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair