STAND. COM. REP. NO.  817

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.B. No. 269

      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 Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 269, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO REAL PROPERTY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to enable the counties to promptly track property ownership, encumbrances, restrictions, uses, and sales prices of real property to more accurately determine real property tax assessments.  Specifically, this bill requires the registrar of the Bureau of Conveyances to provide, within ten days after the end of each week and free of charge, the administrator of the Real Property Assessment Division of the City and County of Honolulu an image and index of all instruments and documents that have been recorded in the registrar's office that week relating to land in all the counties.  This bill also requires the real property assessment administrator of the City and County of Honolulu to provide copies of the images, without charge, to the real property assessment administrators of the other counties.

     The Real Property Tax Division of the County of Hawaii Department of Finance supported this bill.  The Department of Land and Natural Resources opposed this measure.  The City and County of Honolulu and Real Property Tax Division of the County of Maui Department of Finance offered comments.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 269, H.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair