House committee to hear bill Tuesday on working group to study squatting in Hawaiʻi

The House Committee on Human Services & Homelessness will hold a public hearing at 9 a.m. Tuesday on a proposal to establish a working group to study the issue of people unlawfully occupying private property.

House Bill 225 calls for establishing a working group within the Department of the Attorney General to study squatting in Hawaiʻi and issue a report with recommendations to the Legislature.

The committee agenda has links for submitting written public testimony and for viewing the hearing on YouTube.

The bill says the most prevalent instances of squatting in Hawaiʻi are when a property owner cannot be contacted to make a trespass complaint, leaving the property vacant or abandoned and accessible to squatters. Without a trespass complaint, police can’t remove squatters when neighbors complain about public nuisances.

Other bills on the committee’s agenda include:

House Bill 431, which would appropriate funds for Gov. Josh Green’s Kauhale Initiative to establish communities of tiny homes for homeless people discharged from medical facilities. The bill appears to have broad support of more than 40 members of the House.

House Bill 701, which would establish a refundable Family Caregiver Tax Credit for nonpaid family caregivers. The measure would require the Department of Taxation to report to the Legislature before the convening of each regular session.