STAND. COM. REP. NO.  555-12

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

RE:   H.B. No. 2553

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, & Ocean Resources, to which was referred H.B. No. 2553 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO BUILDING DESIGN FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to recognize the value of and recoup the costs associated with the construction plan review services of the Disability and Communication Access Board by, among other things:

     (1)  Requiring the Board to charge established flat-rate review fees based on estimated construction costs;

     (2)  Authorizing the Board, in its discretion, to cap the review fee at $3,000 for infrastructure projects and projects managed by private non-profit entities; and

     (3)  Requiring the review fees to be deposited into the Disability and Communication Access Board Special Fund.

The Disability and Communication Access Board, Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, Next Design, LLC, and four individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Building Industry Association of Hawaii opposed this measure.  The City and County of Honolulu Department of Design and Construction provided comments on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing the fee schedule to include a fee constituting an unspecified percentage of the estimated construction cost as well as a flat-rate fee based on the estimated construction cost;

     (2)  Defining "infrastructure"; and

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

     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. 2553, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2553, 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