Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Landlord Tenant Code topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee moves landlord-tenant working group to judiciary, narrows scope
Summary
The House Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce adopted amendments to HCR158/HR153 to have the judiciary convene a working group to develop landlord-tenant code improvements and narrowed the group's scope following comments from the Attorney General’s office and tenant advocates.
The House Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce on March 20 adopted HD 1 amendments to HCR158/HR153 to have the judiciary — not the attorney general’s office — convene a working group to develop landlord-tenant code improvements intended to increase the supply of housing in Hawaii.
Deputy Attorney General Christopher Hahn testified that the Department of the Attorney General does not practice regularly in the area of residential landlord-tenant law and recommended that another state agency with housing expertise or the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) be considered to provide research and statutory drafting support. Hahn said, “our department does not practice in the area of the residential landlord tenant code,” and suggested the judiciary or LRB as more appropriate conveners for legislative solutions.
Industry and tenant stakeholders appeared. Lindsay Garcia of Hawaii Realtors said the organization “stand[s] in strong support” and would accept a judiciary-led task force. Alana Kaye of the Maui Tenants and Workers Association urged stronger tenant representation and said many renters lack access to attorneys or clear avenues to resolve abusive landlord conduct; she warned that wording favoring investor protections could reduce tenant protections.
A volunteer mediator with the Mediation Center of the Pacific recommended attention to court procedures and paperwork that can affect tenants’ ability to collect judgments in small-claims or security-deposit cases. Other callers urged that working-group membership reflect the proportion of people affected by landlord-tenant law.
In decision making the committee adopted HD 1 to change the convening entity from the attorney general to the judiciary, removed a subparagraph identified in committee as duplicative (page 2, lines 13–14), and made technical amendments for clarity and consistency. The chair noted the judiciary had provided supportive testimony on SB 822 earlier in the session. The committee recorded the measure as passed with amendments; Representative Puric was noted as excused. The adopted amendment did not specify a final deadline or membership list for the working group.
