STAND. COM. REP. NO. 913-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2089

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 2089, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the State Building Code Council to adopt, amend, or update the International Building Code and International Residential Code within two years of every other official publication of the applicable code, rather than every publication; and

(2) Specify that if a county does not adopt the Hawaii State Building Codes within two years, then the Hawaii State Building Codes become the applicable interim county building code until superseded by the adoption of an amended version of the Hawaii State Building Codes.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department; Stanford Carr Development; NAIOP Hawaii; Grassroot Institute of Hawaii; HPM Building Supply; General Contractors Association of Hawaii; aio; Hawaiʻi Gas; Hawaiian Host Group; Hawaiʻi Community Foundation; Mana Up; Title Guaranty Hawaiʻi; Holomua Collaborative; Gentry Homes, Ltd.; Pacific Resource Partnership; and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the American Institute of Architects Hawaii State Council; International Code Council; and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Hawaiʻi State Energy Office; Building Industry Association of Hawaii; D.R. Horton Hawaii LLC; Blue Planet Foundation; Hawaiʻi Energy; American Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers; and RMA Sales.

Your Committee finds that the chronic understaffing of appropriate county departments has required employees to spend significant time and resources on code updates, which diverts their time away from plan review and inspections. Your Committee further finds that the constant amendments to the applicable codes results in many professionals being unfamiliar with the updates, leading to delays in permit approval. This measure provides more stability to the code process by only requiring the State Building Code Council to adopt, amend, or update the International Building Code and International Residential Code upon every other official publication by the International Code Council.

Your Committee has amended this measure by 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 Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2089, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2089, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair