STAND. COM. REP. NO. 557

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 141

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 141 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds for the State Building Code Council.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the State Fire Council, Honolulu Fire Department, Blue Planet Foundation, and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Accounting and General Services and Hawaii State Energy Office.

Your Committee finds that this measure is intended to establish one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) program director position and one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) staff member position, and to provide for employee training, materials and supplies, other costs associated with the State Building Code Council, and any costs necessary to establish a full-time office.

While your Committee is in strong support of providing personnel and resources to ensure the building codes developed by the State, and thereby adopted by the counties, are timely and reflect the latest in technology, energy, health, and safety, your Committee also recognizes that the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS), to which the State Building Code Council is administratively attached, is only responsible for buildings of the Executive Branch and not the State as a whole. Your Committee further finds that the State Building Code Council has statewide importance beyond the purview of DAGS and would be more appropriately aligned within the Hawaii State Energy Office within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism (DBEDT). Your Committee also encourages the State Building Code Council to work with DBEDT on its executive budget to provide funding to support the establishment of a full-time office with a full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) program director position and any additional personnel and resources as needed for State Building Code Council to carry out its important work.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing the general fund appropriation to establish one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) program director position and one full-time equivalent (1.0 FTE) staff member position, and for employee training, materials and supplies, other costs associated with the State Building Code Council, and any costs necessary to establish a full-time State Building Code Council office;

(2) Inserting language to transfer the State Building Code Council from DAGS to the Hawaii State Energy Office under DBEDT; and

(3) 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 Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 141, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 141, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Government Operations,

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SHARON MORIWAKI, Chair