S.B. 2904 Summary

• Adds eight new sections to Hawaii's emergency management law (Chapter 127A) to provide relief to tenants, mortgagors, and consumers during proclaimed emergencies.

• Allows governors or mayors to declare rent suspension for residential tenants up to 6 months total (two 3-month periods), with suspended rent repaid on a payment plan matching the suspension duration, without requiring proof of hardship or late fees.

• Prohibits courts from accepting or processing eviction filings, entering judgments, or issuing writs of possession for residential units during emergency proclamations, with enforcement blocked until 96 hours after proclamation unless extended.

• Allows governors or mayors to declare foreclosure moratoriums and mortgage payment deferrals up to 3 years, with loan repayment periods extended by the deferment duration and no accrual of interest during deferment.

• Extends similar 6-month rent suspension protections to small business commercial tenants and 6-month loan payment deferral rights to student, commercial, and consumer loan borrowers; permits residents to request exclusion of adverse credit information from reporting agencies during the emergency period and 90 days after.