REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND GENERAL SERVICES TO CONVENE A COOPERATIVE WORKING GROUP TO ADDRESS STATE PROJECTS THAT REQUIRE COUNTY PERMITTING.

SR172

THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

172

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

Requesting the department of accounting and general
services to convene a cooperative working group to address state projects that
require county permitting
.

����
WHEREAS, the
State submits hundreds of building permit applications each year to county
permitting departments; and

����
WHEREAS, the
allocated costs for these state projects total hundreds of millions of dollars
and support thousands of jobs, but the projects often face considerable delays
in the permit approval process; and

����
WHEREAS, during
2022 and 2023, more than ninety percent of all state building permit
applications submitted to the Department of Planning and Permitting of the City
and County of Honolulu took longer than one hundred eighty days to obtain
approval, with the average approval length being approximately six hundred days;
and

����
WHEREAS, this
processing time was reported to be approximately six times longer than the
average private sector building permit application approval time, and the
delays increased state costs by more than $30 million over a two-year period
due to inflation; and

����
WHEREAS, the
State requires
further
information to understand and resolve the county-level permitting
inefficiencies and other obstacles faced by state projects
; now,
therefore,

����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, that the Department of Accounting and General Services
is requested to convene a cooperative working group to address state projects
that require county permitting; and

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BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the working group is requested to explore, research, and issue
recommendations on streamlining permitting processes exclusively for state
projects with county permitting needs; and

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BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the working group is requested to consist of the following
members:

����
(1)
�
The Comptroller, or their designee, who shall
serve as chair of the working group;

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(2)
�
The Chairperson of the Senate Standing
Committee on Government Operations;

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(3)
�
One member of the House of Representatives, to
be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

����
(4)
�
The Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural
Resources, or their designee;

����
(5)
�
The Director of Transportation, or their
designee;

����
(6)
�
The Superintendent of Education, or their
designee;

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(7)
�
The President of the University of Hawaii
System, or their designee;

����
(8)
�
The Executive Director of the Hawaii Community
Development Authority, or their designee;

����
(9)
�
The Executive Director of the Hawaii Housing Finance
and Development Corporation, or their designee;

���
(10)
�
The Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable
Development, or their designee;

���
(11)
�
The Chief Energy Officer, or their designee;

���
(12)
�
The Chief of the Wastewater Branch of the Department
of Health, or their designee;

���
(13)
�
The Chair of the State Building Code Council
of the Department of Accounting and General Services, or their designee; and

���
(14)
�
One representative from each county planning
and permitting department, to be invited by the chair of the working group; and

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BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the working group is requested to submit a report of its findings
and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no
later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2028;
and

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BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President
of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Comptroller, Superintendent
of Education, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, Director
of Transportation, Director of Health, President of the University of Hawaii
System, Executive Director of the Hawaii Community Development Authority,
Executive Director of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation,
Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, Chief Energy
Officer, Chair of the State Building Code Council, and Mayor of each county.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
�

DAGS;
County Permitting Departments; State Projects; Working Group; Report