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Committee advances bill letting landlords share leases with HPD to help shut illegal game rooms
Summary
The Committee on International Legal Affairs recommended reporting Bill 13, CD1, out for third-reading after testimony supporting a provision that would let landlords provide leases to Honolulu Police Department so officers can document suspected illegal game rooms, subject to tenant consent and department discretion.
The Committee on International Legal Affairs recommended Bill 13, CD1 be reported out for passage on third reading after discussing a provision that would let landlords give the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) a copy of a lease to support inspections of suspected illegal game rooms.
Proponents said the change would give landlords a tool to address game rooms operating on private property while preserving tenant consent and leaving HPD participation to departmental discretion.
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Gabriel Huntington told the committee the proposal came from the Game Room Task Force and is intended to let landlords request HPD inspections “by giving HPD a copy of their lease so that an inspection can be done under the terms of the lease, which includes a consent of the renter or the tenant.” He said the lease and referenced statutes would guide whether a tenant’s consent exists for entry.
Supporters framed the bill as a public-safety measure. Councilmember Dos Santos said a recent shooting outside a game room and other violent incidents in multiple neighborhoods show the “cycle” of crime associated with game rooms, and urged colleagues to give HPD more tools. Huntington said HPD would document “violations of the law, unsafe conditions, and violations of the lease or rental agreement” so officers could provide reports and testify in civil proceedings if necessary.
Committee members pressed on safeguards. Member Cordero asked how oral leases would be handled and whether the process could be used to harass tenants. Huntington replied that where a lease is oral, Chapter 521 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes provides baseline rules, and that HPD’s involvement is discretionary: “It’s in HPD’s discretion to participate or not.” Members also discussed that contested questions about consent or lease terms could be litigated in civil court and that HPD would rely on its standard procedures for obtaining consent.
The chair recommended the bill be reported out for passage on third reading; the record notes a reservation from Member Cordero. No formal roll-call vote was recorded on the public transcript.
The measure remains a proposal; committee discussion distinguished between policy goals, department discretion for investigations, and the potential for subsequent civil litigation if landlord–tenant consent is disputed.
