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Committee passes bill allowing third-party historic-preservation reviewers under SHPD oversight
Summary
The committee passed SB1669 SD2 HD1, which allows third-party reviewers for historic-preservation reviews while retaining SHPD responsibility for selecting and certifying reviewers; the bill advances to Finance with an estimated cost noted during discussion.
The committee voted to pass SB1669 SD2 HD1, a measure that adds language allowing third-party historic-preservation reviewers in certain development reviews, with technical and attorney-general amendments.
Deputy Attorney General Ivan Shinnura submitted comments and said the AG's office would follow up on legal questions. Cameron Black of the Hawaii State Energy Office offered comments in support of the written testimony. Jessica Puff, the administrator of the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD), told the committee she interpreted the bill to mean SHPD would still be responsible for selecting and certifying third-party reviewers and for ensuring professional qualifications and absence of conflicts of interest.
Puff told members that, if the bill is unclear in places, SHPD needs authority to certify qualifications and guard against conflicts so a firm reviewing a project is not also the project’s contractor. Committee members asked whether the selection would require procurement or an RFP; Puff said some firms could handle multiple disciplines, or SHPD might contract multiple entities to cover different parts of a review.
Members also discussed costs. A committee member noted an earlier figure of about $400,000 for implementation; the committee recorded that financial review would occur in Finance.
Why it matters: the bill seeks to speed reviews and bring in outside technical expertise while keeping SHPD oversight to protect professional standards and prevent conflicts of interest.
Ending: The committee passed the measure with amendments and sent it to the Finance Committee to vet the fiscal implications and potential implementation mechanisms.
