STAND. COM. REP. NO.  526

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

RE:   H.B. No. 376

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources, to which was referred H.B. No. 376 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO STREAMLINING PERMIT, LICENSE, AND APPROVAL APPLICATION PROCESSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to streamline portions of the review process for permits, licenses, and approvals by, among other things:

     (1)  Allowing the counties to contract with licensed, qualified architects, and engineers to serve as third-party reviewers to certify compliance with various construction codes as well as land-use ordinances;

     (2)  Limiting to 60 days the period within which the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) has to review and comment on pending state and county project approvals that affect historic properties, aviation artifacts, or burial sites before the proposed project will be deemed approved; and

     (3)  Providing that if an agency has not adopted rules specifying the maximum period within which to grant or deny a business- or development-related permit, license, or approval, the application will be deemed approved 30 calendar days after a completed application is submitted to the State or respective county agency.

     DLNR, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Hawaii Government Employees Association, Historic Hawaii Foundation, Society for Hawaiian Archaeology, and numerous concerned individuals opposed this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by changing its effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion.

     Your Committee notes that this bill implements one of the Construction Industry Task Force's (created by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 132, S.D. 1, in 2009) proposals in conjunction with the current Administration's support for state actions to create new jobs in Hawaii's construction industry.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 376, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 376, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources,

____________________________

JERRY L. CHANG, Chair