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From: Rita Maslansky
Sent: Sunday, June 1, 2025 9:50 AM
To: Council Testimony c
Subject: RE: OPPOSITION TO BILL 47, Draft 2
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Dear Chair, Inaba, Vice Chair Onishi, and Council Members:
The Hawaii Island Rental Property Alliance (HIRPA) respectfully requests that the CouncilileferTill
47 until the County's economic impact study on short- and mid-term rentals is released and reviewed.
We understand the bill's stated intent —to improve transparency and accountability. But intent
alone is insufficient, especially when it's not backed by enforceable protections. Without
explicit provisions like amnesty or enforcement limitations, the public is being asked to trust in good
faith, without any written guarantees. That's a dangerous precedent.
Hawaii has seen what happens when legislative processes lack transparency and accountability. From
recent high -profile bribery convictions to late -stage legislative "gut -and -replace" tactics struck down
by our own courts, history shows us how easily stated intentions can be undermined by behind -the -
scenes influence or bad -faith actors. Once a law is passed, its application often depends less on what
was promised and more on who's in charge of enforcing it.
That's why many residents are justifiably concerned that registering today could lead to punitive
enforcement in the future (from DPW, RPT, and Planning) — even if some have stated their current
intent is benign. And that concern is not hypothetical; it's informed by lived experience, especially
after the last-minute amendments and confusion surrounding Bill 121.
Moving forward with this bill before reviewing the study sends a message that the outcome is already
decided and the data is irrelevant. That erodes trust in the government and invites suspicion rather
than cooperation.
What genuine public interest is served by advancing this bill now, rather than waiting
just a few weeks for the results of a study commissioned by this very body to inform the
process?
We urge the Council to:
1. Defer Bill 47 until the study is complete and can guide a clear, evidence -based path forward.
2. Develop a targeted registration program that includes enforceable protections for
voluntary registrants.
3. Include a limited amnesty period to recognize the economic and structural realities many
local families face.
This isn't about avoiding regulation. It's about protecting the public interest from unintended harm —
or worse, intentional misuse by future authorities. A clear, fair, and transparent policy is the best
safeguard we have.
Thank you for your time and continued service. Comm. "q
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