Committee advances HB 1433 to require eviction mediation with an outer time limit

The House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce on Jan. 29 advanced House Bill 1433, a measure to expand eviction mediation and promote early landlord–tenant negotiation, adopting language requiring the bill to include an outer time limit for completion of mediation.

The Mediation Center of the Pacific testified in support, saying mediation can change the culture so tenants speak up earlier and negotiate payment plans before rent debt grows. A representative from the Mediation Center said, "We're trying to create a culture where landlords and tenants talk early before there's a big hole, so there is a possibility of helping them negotiate payment plans." Lindsey Garcia of Hawaii Realtors said the association supports the intent of the bill but asked that mediation be allowed to proceed in parallel with eviction processes and that the committee consider a timeline to avoid unintentionally extending the eviction process.

The chair asked future testifiers and stakeholders to comment on what an appropriate outer time limit for mediation should be; the committee included a blank outer limit in the draft so stakeholders could provide input. The committee also noted past experience with Act 57 eviction‑mediation during the pandemic, which succeeded in part because of emergency rent relief; Hawaii Realtors said mediation alone may not be sufficient without rental‑assistance resources.

Vote: the committee adopted the chair's recommendation to pass HB 1433 with amendments to add an outer time limit and to defer the effective date to July 1, 3000 to allow drafting of the time limit.

Next steps: committee staff will solicit stakeholder input on an appropriate outer time limit for mediation and incorporate that timeframe into subsequent drafting.