STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2995

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2130

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 2130 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE STATE FIRE CODE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal the requirement that the State Fire Code be adopted only after public hearings have been held and instead require that the fire code be adopted after meetings with pertinent stakeholders.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii State Fire Council and Honolulu Fire Department.

Your Committee finds that under existing law, the Hawaii State Fire Council is required to comply with chapters 91 and 92, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to adopt the State Fire Code. The State Fire Code is among the codes and standards that compose the state building code; however, the fire code is the only building code that is required to hold public hearings, while other codes such as residential, plumbing, energy, and electrical codes are adopted by the State Building Code Council after a meeting with pertinent stakeholders. This measure will align the adoption of the State Fire Code with the requirements and procedures established for the adoption of all other state building codes.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2130, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2130, S.D. 1.

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

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KARL RHOADS, Chair