STAND. COM. REP. NO. 329

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 353
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce, to which
was referred H.B. No. 353 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO REAL ESTATE BROKERS AND
     SALESPERSONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to simplify, streamline,
clarify, update, and deregulate the real estate licensing law set
forth in Chapter 467, Hawaii Revised Statutes, as well as to
provide additional options to license applicants, without
compromising consumer protection.  Among other things, this bill:

     (1)  Gives candidates for real estate licenses the option of
          requesting a preliminary decision from the Real Estate
          Commission (Commission), regarding disposition of their
          license application, thus allowing candidates to avoid
          unnecessary expenditures on prelicensing education or
          examination requirements and to otherwise amend their
          applications;

     (2)  Authorizes the Commission to recognize license
          applicants' out-of-state licensing examinations and
          other equivalencies, and gives the Commission the
          flexibility to require passage of specific portions of
          examinations as appropriate;


 
 
 
 
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     (3)  Provides that where real estate licensees timely renew
          their licenses, those licenses shall be renewed before
          the start of the new licensing period;

     (4)  Deregulates the real estate broker business by
          repealing the requirements that real estate brokers
          display a broker's license, license their branch
          offices, and register their site offices; and

     (5)  Simplifies and deregulates certification of real estate
          continuing education instructors, by transferring
          responsiblity for approval of these instructors from
          the Commission to continuing education providers.

     The Real Estate Commission strongly supported this bill,
testifying that the bill was introduced upon the Commission's
request.  The Hawaii Association of Realtors also testified in
support.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making several
technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and
style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce that is attached to
this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and
purpose of H.B. No. 353, as amended herein, and recommends that
it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No.
353, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Consumer
                                   Protection and Commerce,



                                   ______________________________
                                   RON MENOR, Chair