STAND. COM. REP. NO.  936-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   H.B. No. 2358

      H.D. 3

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2358, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE BUILDING CODE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to promote uniformity in statewide building standards by establishing the Hawaii State Building Code Council and the Natural Disaster Preparedness Commission, and adopting the Hawaii State Building Code.  

The Hawaii Building and Construction Trades Council testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Defense; State Fire Council; Honolulu Fire Department; Maui County Council; Department of Planning and Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu; Department of Fire and Public Safety of the County of Maui; Kauai Fire Department; Hawaii Steel Alliance; National Fire Protection Association; Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety; Structural Engineers Association of Hawaii; and numerous individuals testified in support of this measure.  Life of the Land; General Contractors Association of Hawaii; Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation; Building Industry Association of Hawaii; International Code Council; and Plumbers and Fitters, Local 675 provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Reverting to the House Draft 1 version of this measure;

     (2)  Adding a representative from the State Fire Council to the Hawaii State Building Code Council;

     (3)  Amending, rather than repealing, the county's authority, under chapter 107, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to amend the Hawaii State Building Code as it applies to the county, and requiring the amendments to be approved by the Hawaii State Building Code Council;

     (4)  Deleting similar language that gave the counties the authority under chapter 46, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to amend the Hawaii State Building Code;

     (5)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2030, to promote further discussion; and

     (6)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for style, clarity, and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2358, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2358, H.D. 3.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair