Condo Justice - The Ball's Now In Your Court
by Marcia Kimura
The proposed bill (HB381 / SB165) to establish a condominium ombudsman and seven-member commission was discussed previously in these two Hawai’i Free Press articles:
This highly powerful bill actually authorizes enforcement by the commission, of condo laws that protect owners.
The petition support given by readers is highly valued and appreciated by the bill's proponents who now appeal to them and others learning of this measure, to support the bill now, by these means:
1) A hearing for testimony on HB381, the state House version of the bill, is scheduled on Wednesday, February 8, 9:00 a. m. at the capitol's room 429. Interested individuals can present in-person testimonies at that hearing, or submit them online by proceeding to capitol.hawaii.gov., registering your name and email address or logging in with previously submitted registration information, entering the bill number (HB381), and clicking on "Submit Testimony." Then, follow the prompts to complete and transmit your testimony. Please send all online testimonies no later than 24 hours before the scheduled hearing. (by Tuesday, February 7, 9:00 a. m.)
2) Sending email appeals as soon as possible to the Senate's Commerce, Consumer Protection and Health Committee (CPH) members to schedule a hearing for SB165, the Senate version of the ombudsman/commission bill; testimonies will not be accepted until a hearing date is assigned. Since as of this date, SB165 is still alive, requests for its hearing can significantly influence the decision by these members in the (CPH) who will be first to decide on whether or not to schedule a hearing:
Rosalyn H. Baker, Chair - senbaker@capitol.hawaii.gov
Clarence K. Nishihara, Vice Chair - sennishihara@capitol.hawaii.gov
Stanley Chang - senchang@capitol.hawaii.gov
Will Espero - senespero@capitol.hawaii.gov
Les Ihara, Jr. - senihara@capitol.hawaii.gov
Michelle N. Kidani - senkidani@capitol.hawaii.gov
Russell E. Ruderman - senruderman@capitol.hawaii.gov
The texts of HB381 and SB165 are also available for viewing at the capitol.hawaii.gov website, when they are entered on the upper left side of the home page. (Then, follow the prompts to find the links for the bills.). The progress or status of these bills can later be tracked from the capitol site.
Remember, YOU can and must be the ultimate determinator of whether or not real justice is available. Please get involved!
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