Kill HB 1990! This is a knee-jerk vindictive Bill that will create more problems to ordinary citizens.

My quick note to the Senators and Representatives, again.

Aloha!

You have over 3,000 bills this legislature session?  About 20%, including this punitive and half-baked bill, have made the cross-over.

Have you gotten the chance personally to read through this Bill that has passed quickly this session?

I cannot imagine that you would  expose your own communities and constituents as sitting ducks
to this far-reaching and tyrannical Bill HB1990. 

Your constituents will become easy targets of complaints because most residential dwellings have violations neighbors or the government can complain about. You must be aware that counties also have systemic problems. It’s well-known knowledge. A lot of the rationale provided for this ill-thought HB1990 are off-tangent, illogical, and counter-productive that will create more problems for Hawaii. There is a latest new amendment to HB1990.

ONE EXAMPLE:

Description:

Establishes penalties, including fines and liens, for an owner of residential real property’s failure to remediate zoning violations.  

Requires, under certain conditions, county planning or permitting agencies to record the notice of violation as a lien on 

the property with the Bureau of Conveyances.  Requires referral to the applicable county corporation counsel for foreclosure, subject to certain conditions, if the owner fails to satisfy certain conditions.  Requires the applicable district or circuit court to hold a de novo review of penalties assessed for unaddressed residential real property zoning violations, including foreclosure, upon appeal by the affected residential real property owner.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (SD2)

Who will this new amendment disenfranchise? Local owners with no means to afford expensive legal fees.

Note also that the Honolulu County who first initiated this Power of Sale in 2021, based on new County fines had this reason for asking for more new powers:(HB 1990 aka HB1861 aka HB29 aka . . .) The amendment will only create more ” legal manpower and funding” that the county claims it does not have.

“The City has lacked the legal manpower and funding to pursue foreclosure . . .”

Did you read any of the testimonies? The most articulate written testimony is from LURF who has institutional knowledge of Hawaii’s land use issues. It’s cogent, reasonable and pono with a little aloha for the people of Hawaii.