Government Affairs Update
May 1, 2009
THIS WEEK AT THE LEGISLATURE...
Owner Builder Deferred in Conference - Dead for 2009
S.B. 205 required applicants for county building permits under the owner-builder exemption to submit their state and federal tax identification numbers, federal and state tax clearances, and certificate of workers' compensation insurance.
S.B. 34 Relating to Act 137 Headed to Final Reading.
Excludes licensed real estate brokers and salespersons from the definition of distressed property consultants in the Mortgage Foreclosure Rescue Fraud Prevention Act under specified conditions. Prohibits active real estate licensees from acquiring an ownership interest in a distressed property they have listed or for up to 365 days after the listing agreement is terminated. Click here to read the measure.
Forty-eight (48) hours notice Tuesday, 05-05-09. If the measure passes final reading then it goes to the Governor for her signature.
Letter to Governor Requesting Veto of Conveyance Tax Increase.
H.B. 1741, Relating to Conveyance Tax; conveyance tax rate - Increases Conveyance Tax on non-owner occupant condos and single-family residences to $1.25 per $100 (1.25%), an increase of 357%; and increases the maximum rate on other property to $1 per $100 (1 %), an increase of 333% passed the Legislature and was sent to the Governor.
Click here to read the letter to the Governor from HAR.
Bills to Watch in Conference
S.B. 1173 Point of Sale Disclosure; Utility Bills
Prior to the sale or lease of property, property owners and lessors shall provide utility bills for the most recent three-month period in which the property was occupied; provided that if the property has no utility accounts associated with it, the property owner or lessor is exempt from meeting this requirement.
H.B. 593 Shoreline Moratoriums Statewide Deferred in Conference - Dead for 2009
Allows DLNR to establish coastal construction moratoriums to protect beaches statewide; requires DLNR to establish an interim coastal construction moratorium for Kailua beach.