The General Contractors Association of Hawaii entered this year’s legislative session with one job. They succeeded.
GCA Hawaii’s Legislative Committee sought to amend the state’s procurement code by “requiring cash or protest bonds to be returned to the initiating parties, minus administrative costs, except in cases where the appeal was frivolous or made in bad faith.”
The measure includes language every state with a bond requirement uses to prevent the filing of frivolous appeals without deterring legitimate ones.
“It is our hope that this measure will increase government ethics,” GCA Hawaii Government Relations Director Ryan Sakuda said when the bill was introduced earlier this year.
Known as House Bill 2070 during this year’s session, it was signed by Gov. Josh Green into law as Act 163 on July 3.
Green included another industry-related measure on his veto list, which was released on July 9. House Bill 1633 would have repealed a leasing restriction on owner-builders who obtain an owner-builder exemption to act as their own contractor and “who build or improve residential or farm buildings or structures on property they own or lease and do not offer the buildings or structures for sale.”
According to a press release from the governor’s office explaining the veto, “construction projects must maintain quality and safety standards, which is why licensed contractors are generally required.
“This bill would [have lifted] restrictions on owner-builders and [created] a broader exemption so that unlicensed contractors could be used for rental projects.
“There are concerns about how increased unlicensed activity would affect consumers. The bill [would have removed] the requirement that structures be built for personal use, which increases the possibility such structures are built for other purposes.”
