SB1093

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the 2023 decarbonization report by the Hawaii state energy office emphasizes that reducing ground transportation emissions heavily depends on the reduction of vehicle miles traveled by single‑occupancy vehicles. Implementing parking demand management strategies is one of the most effective means of achieving this reduction.

The legislature further finds that state-managed parking spaces are significantly more affordable than market-rate options. State employees who park at a facility managed by the department of accounting and general services pay between $30 and $70 per month. Meanwhile, parking in nearby private facilities in downtown Honolulu costs between $217 and $268 per month on average. The state-managed parking waitlist maintained by the department currently consists of one thousand one hundred employees statewide, and employees wait on average three to seven years, with some waiting longer. Increasing parking rates to market-rate prices has been shown to decrease vehicle miles traveled by thirty-five per cent. By increasing employee parking rates, the State can encourage state employees to consider other transportation options and reduce the demand for employee parking. In focus groups conducted by the Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization in July and August 2024, fifty-two per cent of the participants stated that they would be willing to pay more for a guaranteed parking spot or to get off the waitlist faster.

The legislature also finds that daily-rate parking allows for parking spaces to be more accessible and equitably available to state employees who may need to drive their personal vehicles to work intermittently. Seventy-eight per cent of focus group participants stated they would support paying for parking daily instead of monthly. Offering flexibility through daily-rate parking encourages state employees to make a conscious choice about how they get to work each day, which may include more active and shared modes of transportation when it makes sense for them and will help to reduce traffic congestion, save employees money, lower emissions, and promote a healthier lifestyle.

The legislature notes that many focus group participants reported using their monthly parking pass only once or twice weekly. Offering flexible parking options like daily parking rates and shared parking stalls would reduce the financial burden of paying a monthly rate for a parking stall and reduce the state-managed parking space waitlist. Additionally, focus group participants without a state parking space reported having to leave meetings during the workday to pay the parking meter, and those who could not do so received parking infraction citations.

The legislature recognizes that Act 202, Session Laws of Hawaii 2023, required the department of accounting and general services to create and implement a program authorizing two or more state employees to share the cost of a parking stall and allow multiple vehicles to use that stall as appropriate. The acquisition of parking reservation software would enable state employees to reserve parking spaces as needed each day.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to require the department of accounting and general services to establish and implement a parking demand management program for all state government employees to reduce vehicle miles traveled and promote more conscious and efficient use of parking resources.

SECTION 2. Section 27-9, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§27-9[]] Public employee parking facilities. (a) The department [~~of accounting and general services~~], in collaboration with the department of transportation, shall develop, implement, administer, and manage [a]:

(1) A program to allow two or more public employees of the State to share the cost of a parking stall and allow multiple cars to use that stall as appropriate; provided that the total cost for sharing a parking stall between two or more employees shall not exceed the cost of any one stall for any one employee[.

~~(b) The department of accounting and general services, in collaboration with the department of transportation, shall develop, implement, administer, and manage a~~]; and

(2) A pilot project to provide a reasonable number of secure, enclosed bicycle storage lockers at two facilities where vehicle parking is made available to public employees of the State by the department [~~of accounting and general services~~]; provided that the employee cost of secure storage of a bicycle in an enclosed locker shall not exceed twenty per cent of the cost of a vehicle parking stall.

(b) The department shall develop and implement a parking demand management program for state government employees. As part of the program, the department shall:

(1) Transition all monthly parking options to daily parking use;

(2) Reserve additional parking stalls exclusively for daily parking use;

(3) Offer employees the option to purchase daily parking passes;

(4) Procure software that enables state employees to reserve parking on a daily basis; and

(5) Establish two permanent full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) positions to implement and administer the program.

"Department" means the department of accounting and general services."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the purposes of this Act, including:

(1) Procurement of parking reservation software; and

(2) Establishment of two permanent full-time equivalent (2.0 FTE) positions.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of accounting and general services for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	1093
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII