ACT NOW BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

The mid- and short-term rental industry is under attack in the state legislature. Two bills—HB1838 and SB2919—would give counties full authority to phase out rentals in any zoning. This includes disallowing rentals for less than 180 days, negating the HILSTRA lawsuit win. It also includes the Minatoya list, which encompasses a large percentage of short-term rentals on Maui. The statewide organization HIMAST (Hawaiʻi Mid and Short-Term Rental Alliance), along with island alliances, is focused on stopping these bills. We need your help.

Both bills will have another hearing. Because we are only given 48 hours notice of hearing dates, we are asking that you prepare now.

Here’s What You Can Do to Help Defeat These Bills

• Register on the State Capitol website to enable testimony submission. Watch this video to learn how.
• Prepare your testimony now. Tell your personal story of how your life in Hawaiʻi will be impacted if they take away your ability to rent your unit, or if you are employed in the short-term rental industry. You can easily copy and paste or attach a document to your testimony submission once the hearing is set.
• Call or email your district legislators. Look them up here. As a constituent, you are very important to them. The following legislators are key at the next hearings: Senator McKelvey, Representative Cochran, and Representative Amato.
• Ask your cleaners, contractors, and other industry supporters to also submit testimony. Personal stories from residents are best. To make it easy, here is a template they can customize: STR Supporter Testimony
• Reach out to residents and important visiting contractors you’ve accommodated for testimony. Displaced residents, military, traveling nurses, emergency workers. Share this template so they can submit their personal stories of staying in a short-term rental: STR Guest Testimony

Please take these five steps today to save our industry. Even getting one cleaner/contractor and one former guest will triple your impact. Support for these bills has outpaced opposition so far. We can change that!

Please prepare now so we will be ready with more testimony for our legislators to consider.

Together, we can do this!

If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected].

Mahalo,

MVRA Board of Directors