STAND. COM. REP. NO. 503

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 344

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 Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 344 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the design of all new state building construction where parking is to be included to provide that at least twenty-five percent of parking stalls be electric vehicle charger‑ready;

(2) Require the Hawaii State Energy Office to conduct a survey and identify certain high-priority state facilities that include parking to be retrofitted to include electric vehicle charging infrastructure;

(3) Establish a goal of the State to retrofit state facilities to be electric vehicle charger-ready; and

(4) Appropriate funds to the Department of Accounting and General Services to assess the costs of, and install, retrofits and electric vehicle charging systems at high-priority state facilities.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; Department of Accounting and General Services; Hawaii State Energy Office; Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization; Hawaiian Electric; Ulupono Initiative; Climate Protectors Hawaiʻi; 350Hawaii.org; Coalition Earth; Green Party of Hawaiʻi; Environmental Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawaiʻi; Kauai Climate Action Coalition; RERides EV, LLC; Alliance for Automotive Innovation; and numerous individuals.

Your Committee finds that electric vehicle usage has greatly increased in recent years, with electric vehicles accounting for fifteen percent of all new car sales in 2024. Your Committee further finds that the State must support the transition to electric vehicles by ensuring that adequate charging infrastructure is available. This measure addresses this need by establishing certain requirements and goals for state facilities to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the start date on which all new state building construction must meet certain electric vehicle charging requirements to July 1, 2026;

(2) Changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount and removing the appropriation for fiscal year 2025-2026;

(3) Changing the expending entity to the Hawaii State Energy Office;

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

(5) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an appropriation amount of $300,000 for fiscal year 2026-2027 to assess the costs of, and install, retrofits and electric vehicle charging systems at high-priority state facilities.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 344, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 344, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair