Improve Hawaiʻi competitiveness for FEMA BRIC grants

Removing Barriers to FEMA BRIC Funding for Hawaiʻi

Identify and address the regulatory, administrative, and financial barriers preventing Hawaiʻi from successfully competing for FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) funding. Evaluate outdated state and county building codes, lengthy code adoption timelines, and Hawaiʻi's lack of participation in the national Building Code Effectiveness Grading Schedule, which have historically disadvantaged the state in federal grant scoring. Collaborate with state, county, and federal agencies to develop actionable policy reforms, legislative recommendations, and strategies to improve Hawaiʻi's eligibility and competitiveness for federal hazard mitigation funding. Leverage Green Fee investments to remove these systemic barriers and unlock substantially greater federal resources for climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, and infrastructure protection statewide.