THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2611
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO VITAL STATISTICS.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that, under existing law, the real property assessment division of each county does not receive regular notice of residents' deaths.  Consequently, the members of a deceased person's household can continue to receive a deceased property owner's county real property tax exemption and unfairly benefit from an unreported death.  The legislature further finds that if the department of health were to promptly notify each county's real property assessment division each month of deaths that were recorded, the counties would be able to identify deceased persons and remove them from the county real property tax records.  The legislature finds that this communication would prevent surviving household members from claiming the deceased person's real property tax exemption and would ensure a more equitable distribution of taxes among real property owners.  The legislature further finds that this would also prevent subsequent owners of a deceased person's property from being penalized for inadvertently receiving a real property tax exemption meant for the deceased person.

     The purpose of this Act is to promote the accuracy of real property assessments by requiring the department of health, within six weeks of the last day of each month and at no charge, to provide each county's real property assessment division a list of all persons age eighteen and older whose deaths were recorded by the department during the previous month.

     SECTION 2.  Section 338-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§338-4  Deaths reported to county clerks.  The department of health [shall], within six weeks after the end of each month, shall deliver, or forward by mail, at no charge, to the county clerk and to the real property assessment division of each county a list of the names of all citizens of voting age or over whose deaths have been recorded in the department during each month.  The list shall set forth [such] the portion of the information contained in the death record of each citizen whose death is so reported as will be of assistance to the county clerk and county real property assessment division in identification[.], and if available, shall include the last four digits of the deceased's social security number, date of birth, date of death, and last known address."

     SECTION 3.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

 

 

Report Title:

Vital Statistics; Reporting

 

Description:

Requires the department of health to provide each county's real property assessment division a monthly list of death records at no charge.

 

 

 

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