STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3336

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2827

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2827 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 expand the application of and uses for the transaction fee authorized by Act 120, Session Laws of Hawaii 2009, for recordings in the Bureau of Conveyances and Land Court.

More specifically, the measure:

(1) Expands the application of the transaction fee to include all services rendered by the Bureau of Conveyances;

(2) Expands the uses of the transaction fee to include purchases of software, project management and implementation, staffing, workflow improvements, and services related to the management, archiving, preservation, and accessibility of records at the Bureau of Conveyances and in the Office of the Assistant Registrar of the Land Court; and

(3) Specifies that the transaction fee shall be repealed on the earlier of the effective date of administrative rules adopted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources that include the establishment of a similar transaction fee, or on July 1, 2023.

Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Your Committee finds that the additional funding generated by this measure will assist with efforts to modernize and improve the operations of the Bureau of Conveyances and the Land Court.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

(2) Making technical nonsubstantive changes for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

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. 2827, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2827, S.D. 1.

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

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DONOVAN M. DELA CRUZ, Chair