STAND. COM. REP. NO. 21

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 331

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 331 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PERMITS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Establish an exemption from applicable county permit requirements for repetitive construction projects for facilities under the control of any state department or agency; and

(2) Clarify that contracts for the construction, renovation, or repair of facilities under the control of the Department of Education, University of Hawai‘i, or School Facilities Authority are exempt from county permitting requirements that related off-site improvements be made by the contracting government agency as a condition to the issuance of any permit.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; University of Hawai‘i System; School Facilities Authority; and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education.

Your Committee finds that most, but not all, counties exempt state agencies from county permitting requirements. Your Committee believes that aligning the county permitting exemptions for state agencies across all counties will accelerate the timeline for essential repairs and improvements and more efficiently address critical repair and maintenance and infrastructural needs across the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Defining "repetitive construction project";

(2) Clarifying that county permitting exemptions do not apply to projects within a Special Flood Hazard Area;

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(4) 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 that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 331, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 331, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,

____________________________

MARK J. HASHEM, Chair