STAND. COM. REP. NO.  439

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.B. No. 268

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 268 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAND COURT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve the accuracy of real property tax assessments by requiring the assistant registrar of the Land Court to provide the administrator of the real property assessment division of the City and County of Honolulu an image and index of all instruments, writs, and other process that have been recorded in the assistant registrar's office relating to registered land in all the counties.

     The City and County of Honolulu Real Property Assessment Division, County of Hawaii Department of Finance, County of Kauai Department of Finance, and County of Maui Real Property Tax Division supported this bill.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) opposed this bill.

     Your Committee understands that the real property assessment offices of each county are currently engaged in discussions with DLNR that are focused on resolving issues related to the direct and timely transfer of the information identified in this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Changing its effective date to January 1, 2046, to encourage further discussion on this matter; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for style, clarity, and consistency.

     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. 268, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 268, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

____________________________

JON RIKI KARAMATSU, Chair