RELATING TO THE STATE BUILDING CODE COUNCIL.

SB2339

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2339

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to the state building code council
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

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SECTION 1.
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The
legislature finds that the state building code council was established by Act
82, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, to create and implement the state building
code.
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The legislature further finds that
health and safety considerations relating to the state building code are
matters of statewide concern.

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The legislature also finds that the state
building code council has struggled with limited funding and insufficient
staffing since its creation.
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Most
members of the council are government officials lacking the required knowledge
and experience, and as a result, amendments to the state building code often do
not pertain to public health or safety and are adopted without analysis of
financial impact; input from residential, commercial, and industrial builders;
or consideration of the resulting increase in the overall cost of construction.
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In addition, the law requires the state
building code to be based on various codes, including the International
Building Code, which is updated every three years.
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This triennial updating process places significant
burdens on the short-staffed state building code council.
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The frequent updates also burden the staff of
county building departments who spend hundreds of hours revising their
respective county building codes, which in turn places additional burdens on the
construction industry by requiring employees to learn the updated code and
retrain workers.
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These burdens are ultimately
borne by consumers in the form of increased building costs and delays in permit
processing.

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The legislature believes that increasing
the number of members on the state building code council who have knowledge of the
state building code will help to alleviate some of the burdens associated with
the updating process.
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Currently, a
representative of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii and a
representative of the General Contractors Association of Hawaii alternate serving
four-year terms on the council.
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The
legislature believes that, since the state building code knowledge offered by
these two entities is so critical to the council's efforts, representatives of both
entities should have permanent, standing memberships on the council.

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Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to make
both the representative of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii and the representative
of the General Contractors Association of Hawaii permanent, standing members of
the building code council.

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SECTION
2
.
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Section 107-22, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

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"(a)
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There is established a state building code council.
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The council shall be placed within the
department of accounting and general services for administrative purposes only.
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The council shall consist of [
twelve
]
thirteen

voting members and one nonvoting member, who shall be the comptroller or the
comptroller's designee.
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The council
members shall serve four‑year terms.
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The voting members shall include:

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(1)
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One county building official from each
of the four counties appointed by the mayor;

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(2)
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One member representing the state fire
council;

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(3)
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One member representing the department
of labor and industrial relations, who has significant experience in elevator
safety;

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(4)
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One member representing the Hawaii
state energy office of the department of business, economic development, and
tourism;

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(5)
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One member representing the Hawaii
emergency management agency, appointed by the director of Hawaii emergency
management;

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(6)
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One member representing the Structural
Engineers Association of Hawaii;

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(7)
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One member representing the American
Institute of Architects, Hawaii State Council;

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(8)
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One member representing the Building
Industry Association of Hawaii [
or the General Contractors Association of
Hawaii,
] who has significant experience with building codes[
, with
alternating four-year terms between the two organizations and the first
four-year term to be served by the Building Industry Association of Hawaii; and
]
;

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(9)
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One member representing the
Subcontractors' Association of Hawaii, who has significant experience with
building codes[
.
]
; and

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(10)
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One member
representing the General Contractors Association of Hawaii who has significant
experience with building codes.
"

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SECTION 3.
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Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.
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New statutory material is underscored.

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SECTION 4.
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This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

State
Building Code Council; Department of Accounting and General Services;
Membership; Building Industry Association of Hawaii; General Contractors
Association of Hawaii

Description:

Makes both
the representative of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii and the
representative of the General Contractors Association of Hawaii permanent standing
members of the State Building Code Council, instead of members who alternate
terms every 4 years.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.