Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2768 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to add the requirements of the Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act to the design requirements for persons with disabilities for state and county construction projects.

Your Committees received testimony in support of the measure from the Disability and Communication Access Board.

Your Committees find that Section 103-50, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires state and county projects to conform to the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines, as amended by the Disability and Communication Access Board. However, new construction of multi-family dwelling units must also conform to the requirements of the rules adopted under the Federal Fair Housing Amendments Act. This measure would assure that state and county housing projects conform to both design guidelines.

Your Committees further find that the current statute establishes the scope of coverage as federal, state, and county projects. It was never intended that all federal projects would come under the jurisdiction of state law, nor the State Disability and Communication Access Board review process. This measure would clarify the scope of coverage to projects that are federally-funded and administered by the State or a county, conforming to current practice.

Your Committees have amended this measure to reflect preferred drafting style.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2768, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2768, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing.