STAND. COM. REP. NO. 567

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 987

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 987 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO RECORDATION TRANSACTION FEES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to address evolving issues regarding records retained by the Bureau of Conveyances and the Land Court.

     More specifically, the measure:

     (1)  Expands the allowable uses of the $5 transaction fee authorized to be collected on each recording in the Bureau of Conveyances and the office of the assistant registrar of the Land Court to include purchases of software, project management and implementation, workflow improvements, and services related to the management, archiving, preservation, and accessibility of records; and

     (2)  Clarifies that the transaction fee shall be repealed upon the establishment of the fee through applicable administrative rules adopted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources or on July 1, 2022, whichever occurs first.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and First American Title Company, Inc.

     Your Committee finds that expanding the authorized use of these transaction fees to address evolving issues regarding records management and retention by the Bureau of Conveyances and the Land Court will improve workflow processes for both daily and historical records certification and the preservation of physical records.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical amendment to comport with recommended drafting conventions.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 987, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 987, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair