STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2874

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 2556
                                        H.D. 1
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor and Environment, to which was
referred H.B. No. 2556, H.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SAFETY INSPECTION FREQUENCIES
     FOR REGULATED EQUIPMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to delete the requirement
that the period between safety inspections for regulated
equipment be not less than five months, thereby requiring
inspections every seven months.

     Testimony in opposition to this measure was received from
the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR), the
Department of Accounting and General Services, Legislative
Information Services of Hawaii, Hawaii Chapter CCIM, Institute of
Real Estate Management in conjunction with the Commercial Real
Estate Coalition, Hawaii Council of Associations of Apartment
Owners, Scheibert Energy Company, Building Owners and Managers
Association, and an individual.

     Currently, the period between inspections of regulated
equipment is mandated by statute.  DLIR testified however that
this compromises public safety.  Scarce resources are diverted
conducting inspections which may not be necessary.  Your
Committee agrees that while the inspection of regulated equipment
such as boilers, pressure systems, escalators and elevators is
essential to public safety, DLIR is better suited to set

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2874
                                   Page 2


equipment inspection frequencies.  DLIR will be able to allocate
its limited resources for inspections based on equipment need as
opposed to legislative mandate.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by
deleting the entire provision mandating inspection frequencies
for regulated equipment, thereby giving DLIR discretionary
authority to determine the period between inspections.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Labor and Environment that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of H.B. No. 2556, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B.
No. 2556, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on
Ways and Means.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Labor and
                                   Environment,



                                   ______________________________
                                   BOB NAKATA, Chair

 
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