Requesting The Department Of Accounting And General Services To Convene A Cooperative Working Group To Address State Projects That Require County Permitting.
Summary
SCR177 is a Senate Concurrent Resolution that asks the Department of Accounting and General Services (DAGS) to convene a cooperative working group focused on state projects that must go through county permitting. The resolution is based on findings that state building permit applications can take a very long time to be approved, especially in Honolulu, where more than 90% of state applications in 2022 and 2023 reportedly took over 180 days and averaged about 600 days for approval. The measure frames these delays as a major obstacle to timely delivery of public projects and as a driver of increased costs from inflation.
The working group would be charged with researching the causes of permitting delays and recommending ways to streamline the process for state projects only. It would be chaired by the Comptroller and include legislative members, key state agency leaders, and representatives from county planning and permitting departments. The group would be required to submit a report, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature before the 2028 Regular Session. Because this is a concurrent resolution, it does not itself change statutory law or create a new permitting system; instead, it directs intergovernmental study and coordination and may lead to future legislation.
Impact
SCR177 would not directly amend Hawaii statutes or impose binding permitting deadlines. Its legal effect is limited to requesting DAGS to organize a multi-agency, multi-county working group and to report recommendations back to the Legislature. The practical impact would be on state agencies, county permitting departments, and state capital projects that require county approvals, with the goal of reducing delays, costs, and administrative bottlenecks. Any actual changes to permitting law or procedure would require later legislation.
Sentiment
The available vote history suggests broad support, with the Senate Government Operations Committee passing the measure 5-0 and no recorded opposition in the provided materials. The resolution’s findings present the issue as a significant operational and fiscal problem for the State, and the overall tone is problem-solving and collaborative rather than adversarial. The bill appears to be viewed favorably as a study-and-recommendation measure aimed at improving government efficiency.
Contention
The main point of contention is not whether permitting delays exist, but how to address them and whether the focus should be limited to state projects. The resolution specifically targets state projects that require county permitting, which may raise questions about county autonomy, workload, and whether reforms should also apply to private-sector applicants or broader permitting systems. Another possible area of concern is the composition of the working group, which brings together state and county officials and could surface differing views on responsibility for delays, staffing, standards, and process changes.
Same As
Requesting The Department Of Accounting And General Services To Convene A Cooperative Working Group To Address State Projects That Require County Permitting.
Requesting The Department Of Transportation To Convene A Working Group To Develop And Recommend Federal, State, And County Programs Subsidizing The Transport Of Waterborne Cargo.
Requesting The Hawaii State Energy Office To Convene A Nuclear Energy Working Group To Study The Feasibility Of Using Advanced Nuclear Power Technologies In The State.
Requesting The Department Of Accounting And General Services To Study The Feasibility Of Limiting The Costs Of Project And Construction Management In Each State Construction Project To Ten Percent Of The Total Cost Of The Project.