STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1355

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: S.B. No. 898

S.D. 1

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 898, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require landowners who voluntarily deregister their land from the Land Court system and record title in the Bureau of Conveyances to submit a map and description of land, prepared by a licensed professional surveyor, along with the written request for deregistration. This measure also requires approval of the map and description by the State Land Surveyor as a condition precedent to recording title of the deregistered land in the Bureau of Conveyances.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Land Surveyors Association and several individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from ARDA-Hawaii. Your Committee received testimony with comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying that transactions for deregistering land that is part of a condominium property regime, time share plan, or planned community and for deregistering the undivided interest in registered land are exempt from the requirement for submission of a map and description;

(2) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050; and

(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purpose of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 898, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 898, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair