HCR 67: REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR, STATE BUILDING CODE COUNCIL, PLANNING DEPARTMENTS OF EACH COUNTY, MAYORS OF EACH COUNTY, AND CHAIRS OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEES ON HOUSING TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY FOR ADOPTING UPDATED BUILDING CODES.

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR, STATE BUILDING CODE COUNCIL, PLANNING DEPARTMENTS OF EACH COUNTY, MAYORS OF EACH COUNTY, AND CHAIRS OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEES ON HOUSING TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY FOR ADOPTING UPDATED BUILDING CODES.

     WHEREAS, building codes are a multi-tiered set of rules and standards at the federal, state, and local levels that govern construction to safeguard public safety and the longevity of infrastructure; and

     WHEREAS, increasingly frequent natural disasters make constructing resilient, stable structures of vital importance to public safety; and

     WHEREAS, the State's building codes are governed by multiple bodies, including the State Building Code Council, county-level planning departments, and the Legislature; and

     WHEREAS, Governor Josh Green's 2023 Proclamation Relating to Affordable Housing sought to fast track the construction of housing, especially on Maui, but has had the unintended consequence of suspending the State Building Code Council and adopting unamended building codes formulated by the International Code Council; and

     WHEREAS, as many of the unamended codes do not apply to the State, such as those for snow, Governor Green issued another proclamation allowing counties not to abide by the 2021 building code, meaning contractors now face unclear directives that jeopardize construction and public safety; and

     WHEREAS, the State's building codes must now be amended to comply with national standards, offer contractors clarity, and reflect local issues and updated best practices for expedient, safe construction; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, the Senate concurring, that the Office of the Governor, State Building Code Council, Building Departments of each county, Mayors of each county, and Chairs of the standing committees on Housing in the Senate and House of Representatives are urged to develop a comprehensive strategy for the statewide adoption of updated building codes; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the comprehensive strategy is requested to be formulated through stakeholder engagement and address the feasibility of compliance with updated codes; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the comprehensive strategy is urged to include requests to reinstate and adequately fund the State Building Code Council so it can resume its mandate effectively; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor; Chair of the State Building Code Council; Mayor of the County of Hawaii; Mayor of the County of Maui; Mayor of the County of Kauai; Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu; Director of the Planning Department of the County of Hawaii; Director of the Planning Department of the County of Maui; Director of the Planning Department of the County of Kauai; and Director of the Department of Planning and Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu.

Report Title: 

Governor; State Building Code Council; Counties; Building Codes; Updates

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Requesting the Office of the governor, state building code council, building departments OF EACH COUNTY, mayors OF EACH COUNTY, and chairs of the SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING committees on housing to develop a comprehensive strategy for adopting UPDATED building codes.

     WHEREAS, building codes are a multi-tiered set of rules and standards at the local, state, and federal levels that govern construction to safeguard public safety and the longevity of infrastructure; and

     WHEREAS, increasingly frequent natural disasters make constructing resilient, stable structures of vital importance to public safety; and

     WHEREAS, the State's building codes are governed by multiple bodies, including the State Building Code Council, county-level building and planning departments, and the state Legislature; and

     WHEREAS, Governor Josh Green's 2023 Proclamation Relating to Affordable Housing sought to fast track the construction of housing, especially on Maui, but has had the unintended consequence of suspending the State Building Code Council and adopting unamended building codes formulated by the International Code Council; and

     WHEREAS, as many of the unamended codes do not apply to the State, such as those for snow, Governor Green issued another proclamation allowing counties not to abide by the 2021 building code, meaning contractors now face unclear directives that jeopardize construction and public safety; and

     WHEREAS, the State's building codes must now be amended to comply with national standards, offer contractors clarity, and reflect local issues and updated best practices for expedient, safe construction; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, the Senate concurring, that the Office of the Governor, State Building Code Council, Building Departments of each county, Mayors of each county, and Chairs of the Standing Committees on Housing in the Senate and House of Representatives are urged to develop a comprehensive strategy for the statewide adoption of updated building codes; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the comprehensive strategy is requested to be formulated through stakeholder engagement and address the feasibility of compliance with updated codes; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Office of the Governor, State Building Code Council, Building Departments of each county, Mayor of each county, and the Chairs of the Committees on Housing in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Report Title: 

Office of the Governor; State Building Code Council; County Building Departments; Mayors; Housing Committee; Building Codes; Contractors; Compliance

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1885

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.C.R. No. 67

       H.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 67, H.D. 1, entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR, STATE BUILDING CODE COUNCIL, PLANNING DEPARTMENTS OF EACH COUNTY, MAYORS OF EACH COUNTY, AND CHAIRS OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEES ON HOUSING TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY FOR ADOPTING UPDATED BUILDING CODES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Governor, State Building Code Council, planning departments of each county, Mayors of each county, and Chairs of the Senate and House of Representatives Standing Committees on Housing to develop a comprehensive strategy for adopting updated building codes.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from The Maritime Group, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, and one individual.

     Your Committees find that Governor Josh Green's 2023 Proclamation Relating to Affordable Housing, which had the unintended consequence of suspending the State Building Code Council and adopting unamended building codes created by the International Code Council, coupled with a subsequent proclamation allowing counties to not comply with the 2021 building code, inadvertently resulted in the construction industry currently lacking clear directives and rules for upholding building safety standards in the State.  Your Committees further find that updated building codes ensure that homes and public structures are built to withstand current and future risks while also improving community resilience and enabling faster recovery from disasters.  Accordingly, this measure will offer contractors clarity and update best practices for expedient, safe construction by requesting relevant entities within the state government to work together in creating a comprehensive approach to adopting updated building codes.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 67, H.D. 1, and recommend its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety and Military Affairs and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs,

STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1563

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2025

RE:   H.C.R. No. 67

      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 Housing, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 67 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, STATE BUILDING CODE COUNCIL, BUILDING DEPARTMENTS OF EACH COUNTY, MAYORS OF EACH COUNTY, AND CHAIRS OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEES ON HOUSING TO DEVELOP A COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY FOR ADOPTING UPDATED BUILDING CODES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Governor, State Building Code Council, building departments of each county, mayors of each county, and chairs of the Senate and House of Representatives standing committees on housing to develop a comprehensive strategy for adopting updated building codes.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from American Institute of Architects of Architects, Hawaii State Council, Legislative Advocacy Committee.

     Your Committee finds that clear, well-regulated building codes are essential for ensuring public safety, resilience against natural disasters, and the long-term stability of Hawaii's infrastructure.  Recent changes to the application of building codes, including the suspension of the State Building Code Council and the adoption of unamended national standards, have created uncertainty for contractors and developers.  The measure will address the lack of clarity in regulatory requirements risks delaying construction projects and compromising safety standards.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing its title to make technical amendments;

     (2)  Urging the comprehensive strategy to include requests to reinstate and adequately fund the State Building Code Council so it can resume its mandate effectively;

     (3)  Updating the list of recipients of certified copies of this measure; 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 Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 67, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 67, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Housing,