State lawmaker outlines SPEED task force to streamline Hawaii permitting

Representative Gregor Illigan, who chairs the legislative task force on permitting, told the Land Use Commission that SPEED—Simplifying Permitting for Enhanced Economic Development—aims to "change the way Hawaii does permitting" by improving coordination among state and county agencies and making permitting processes trackable and more transparent.

Illigan said the task force will prioritize three "bricks" of reform: building permits, Chapter 6E historic‑preservation compliance, and individual wastewater systems (IWS). He described examples of county digital platforms—including Kauai's Click2Gov, Hawaii County's EPIC and Honolulu's HNLBuild—and proposed better integration so applicants do not have to reenter information into multiple agency systems.

"We want to be the last place on how to be the most burdensome regulatory state in the whole entire nation? Do we wanna stay there or do we wanna change it and move up?" Illigan said, arguing the state must reduce delays that harm housing and state projects. He cited data presented to the task force that a Honolulu state project spent 632 days in permitting and that permitting delays were estimated to cost about $258,700,000 for 2022–23 in Honolulu, figures he attributed to DBEDT and UHERO reports.

Illigan detailed stakeholder feedback from about 120 responses that he grouped under regulatory complexity, staff shortages and poor communication, and described four user types the task force is considering: new homeowners, family businesses, residential developers and commercial developers. He said early survey results show the public tends to view regulatory complexity as the main cause of delays, while agencies emphasize staffing shortages.

The 34‑member task force includes state legislators, representatives of the governor's office, state agencies (including LUC and DBEDT), the four county permitting agencies and user representatives; Illigan said the task force has three subgroups (building permits, Chapter 6E, IWS) working toward subgroup recommendations by Dec. 15, 2025 and a full vote on Jan. 6, 2026 to prepare for the legislative session. A "speed summit" inviting mayors and statewide leaders is planned for January 2027.

"If we are able to make those changes...other states watching Hawaii...they're gonna say Hawaii has improved their processes," Illigan said, framing the work as a combination of technology, staffing and policy changes. He urged public participation through a recommendation form posted on the task force web page and said recommendations can be submitted anonymously to elevate merit over authorship.

The commission's planning director, Mary Alice Evans, told commissioners OPSD has helped staff the task force per Act 133 and expects the work to inform statewide housing and permitting improvements. Commissioners asked about island‑specific issues and post‑disaster rebuilding on Maui; Illigan said the task force will consider county differences and invited collaboration from county councils and agencies.

The task force's stated options range from department policy changes and county ordinances to statewide legislative proposals; Illigan emphasized the group will follow Sunshine Law processes and publish materials and meeting records online.