STAND. COM. REP. NO.  356

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   H.B. No. 19

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 19 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE RESIDENTIAL LANDLORD-TENANT CODE,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to provide more efficient and cost-effective processes relating to the selling, donating, and disposing of abandoned tenant property by removing the requirement that a landlord publish prior notice of the disposition of a tenant's abandoned property.

 

     The Hawaii Association of REALTORS and an individual testified in support of this measure.  The Office of Consumer Protection provided comments on this measure.

 

     Your Committee would like to note that the measure as drafted may have unintended consequences on due process protections of former tenants, especially service members, and may negatively impact consumers interested in purchasing abandoned property.  Should the Committee on Judiciary consider this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that the above-mentioned issues be considered.

 

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2112, to encourage further discussion; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 19, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 19, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair