STAND. COM. REP. NO. 123

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 875

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 875 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE COUNTIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize counties, after adoption of an ordinance, to sell private property after all notices, orders, and appeal proceedings are exhausted and to use those revenues to pay unpaid civil fines related to that property.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one member of the Honolulu City Council.

Your Committee finds that presently, the counties must complete a lengthy process to enforce violations of land use ordinances and building codes against repeat and egregious offenders. The current process requires multiple notices and a judicial foreclosure process that is a legal process mostly beyond the counties' control. Additionally, the counties often lack legal manpower and funding to pursue judicial foreclosures. Your Committee believes that a more efficient and effective method should be available to the counties to collect liens on properties for civil fines. This measure will allow counties to better enforce land use ordinances and building code requirements by authorizing counties, after adoption of an ordinance, to sell private property after all notices, orders, and appeal proceedings are exhausted and to use those revenues to pay unpaid civil fines related to that property.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 875 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs,

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GLENN WAKAI, Chair