Senate committees move several administrative and construction bills forward with amended effective dates

Senate committees on March 23 recommended passing a set of administrative and construction bills with amendments focused on implementation timelines and funding.

Diana Setnis (Office of Planning and Sustainable Development) testified on HB1964 (State Building Code Council), saying the bill would require the council to offer training but not mandate builders to take it; she emphasized the council has not been fully operational due to lack of funding and staff and noted a separate budget request for two full‑time positions and operating expenses.

Supporters of onsite/offsite construction bills, including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Plumbers and Fitters Local 675 union, urged the committees to pursue modular and offsite construction options to increase affordable housing supply, noting sizing and AMI targeting should be aligned with housing goals.

The committee recommended passage with amendments (including revised effective dates) for HB1964, HB2606 and related measures and adopted the chair’s recommendations to continue discussion where needed to resolve funding and operational questions. The session closed with the committee recommending passage of HB2498 (Care Home Community Resilience Pilot) with amended effective dates and appropriations language to enable further discussion before final enactment.