Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 501 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to provide that the district court having jurisdiction over a civil action involving summary possession shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the small claims court over security deposit disputes between the same landlord and tenant.

The Judiciary and a concerned individual testified in support of the bill. The Hawaii Association of Realtors testified in opposition of the bill.

Your Committee finds that this bill will establish the appropriate jurisdiction of a civil action involving both summary possession and security deposit disputes. However, your Committee is concerned that realtors and others are uncertain about the impact of this bill.

Your Committee has amended this bill by:

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 501, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 501, H.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.