HomeMy WebLinkAboutHumphrey, Jamie
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Jamie Humphrey <sydneysmommy05@gmail.com>
Sent:Sunday, August 30, 2026 6:46 PM
To:Council Testimony
Subject:Against bill 147
Aloha Council Members,
My name is Jamie Humphrey. I have lived here in North Kohala for 10 years and I clean vacation rentals
for a living — it's how I support myself and my young daughter. I'm a single mom, so this job means
everything to my family's stability.
I wanted to share my concerns about Bill 147.
I don't have a problem with rentals having to register and pay their taxes — that seems fair. But the part of
this bill that would stop existing hosted rentals with more than five bedrooms from operating, that's the
part that scares me. Several of the properties I clean for would be affected by this, and that's a big chunk
of my income gone.
THIS IS MY PAYCHECK
These jobs aren't extra money for me — they're how I pay rent, keep food on the table, and take care of
my kid. I clean for a few different properties around North Kohala, and losing even one or two of them
because of this bill would hit my family hard. It's not like there are a ton of other jobs around here that
pay the same or let me work the hours I need as a mom.
North Kohala doesn't have many places for visitors to stay to begin with. These hosted rentals bring
people here for family reunions, Kohala Reunions, King Kamehameha Day, and other events — and that
means work for people like me. Without them, I don't know what I'd do.
THE COUNTY'S OWN STUDY BACKS THIS UP!
The County paid for a study in 2025 (by Hunden Partners) that says hosted rentals are vital to thousands
of local families here on the island — that many of us depend on this work just to afford to live here. That
same study says a bill like this could cost the island over 12,000 full-time jobs and 30,000 part-time jobs.
I don't want to be one of those numbers.
And it wouldn't even solve the housing problem — the study found only 4% of owners said they'd actually
turn their rental into long-term housing if this bill passed. So we'd lose jobs without really gaining
housing.
A FAIR COMPROMISE
Please consider grandfathering in the hosted rentals that are already operating and where the host lives
on the property, no matter the number of bedrooms. Let new rules apply going forward, but don't take
away the income that families like mine already depend on.
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I'm asking you to think about the moms, the workers, and the families like mine who depend on this
industry to get by. Please don't pass this bill as written.
Mahalo,
Jamie Humphrey
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