Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Business and Economic Development and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 17 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to convene a task force to consider the establishment of a statewide uniform building code.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from State Farm Insurance, the Hawaii Association of Realtors, the Disability and Communication Access Board, and the Hawaii Insurers Council. Your Committees also received comments from the Department of Accounting and General Services and the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism.

Your Committees find that the individual counties traditionally have established their own building codes, which has resulted in a lack of uniformity among the counties, whereas a statewide uniform building code would replace the existing, fragmented building codes. Your Committees support the formation of a Uniform Statewide Building Code Task Force to consider the feasibility and ramifications of adopting a statewide uniform building code.

Your Committees have amended this measure to request the Department of Accounting and General Services to convene the task force rather than the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. Your Committees further have amended this measure by amending the proposed membership of the task force as follows:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Business and Economic Development and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 17, as amended herein, recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 17, S.D. 1.