STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 137-24
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2024
RE: H.B. No. 2611
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2024
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 2611 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ADMINISTRATIVE FEES,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to, beginning January 1, 2025:
(1) Statutorily establish a transaction fee for each recording by the Bureau of Conveyances and Land Court for certain services;
(2) Authorize the Board of Land and Natural Resources to adopt, amend, or repeal certain administrative fees, separate from the administrative rulemaking process;
(3) Amend the authorized uses of funds in the Bureau of Conveyances Special Fund; and
(4) Repeal provisions that require fees for the use of microfilms of documents recorded in the Bureau of Conveyances to be established by rules.
Your Committee finds that the Bureau
of Conveyances has significantly improved the automation and integrity
of the recording process, established web and digital access to parts of the
Bureau's database and records, and created the portal and process for the
electronic recording of documents as a result of Act 120, Session Laws of
Hawaii 2009. This measure will expand the
authorized uses for transaction-fee monies to address many of the evolving
issues that the Bureau of Conveyances faces, particularly with the ongoing
shortage of workers.
Your
Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Changing the effective date to January 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and
(2) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider whether the amending of fees should be accomplished through the administrative rulemaking process pursuant to chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, or through the Board of Land and Natural Resources separate from that process.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2611, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2611, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,
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____________________________ LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair |