H.B. 225 - Relating to Squatting

• Establishes a working group within the Department of the Attorney General to examine and analyze squatting in Hawaii and provide recommendations for addressing it effectively.

• Working group shall analyze definitions of squatting, various circumstances in which it occurs (vacant properties, unreachable owners, foreclosures, landlord-tenant disputes), and recommendations for prevention and community impact resolution.

• Working group membership includes the Attorney General (chair), state directors, county chiefs of police and prosecutors, legislative representatives, judiciary representative, and invited stakeholders from legal services, real estate, housing, and banking industries.

• Working group must submit a preliminary report to the legislature no later than twenty days before the 2026 regular session and a final report no later than twenty days before the 2027 regular session.

• Working group ceases to exist on June 30, 2027; effective date is July 1, 3000.