Hawaii House Bill HR98

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/7/25
• Refer: 3/14/25
• Report Pass: 3/27/25
• Refer: 3/27/25
• Report Pass: 4/3/25
• Passed: 4/3/25

Caption

Strongly Urging The Real Estate Commission To Allow For The Administration Of The Real Estate Salesperson's Examination In The Japanese Language For Purposes Of Issuing A Limited Real Estate Salesperson's License, For The Sale Of Timeshare Products In Hawaii, To Japanese National Visitors For The Purpose Of Enhancing Japan's Involvement In And Support Of The Hawaii Tourism Industry.

Summary

H.R. 98 is a House Resolution that strongly urges the Hawaii Real Estate Commission to make the real estate salesperson’s examination available in Japanese for a limited real estate salesperson’s license tied to the sale of timeshare products in Hawaii. The resolution is aimed specifically at Japanese national visitors and frames the proposal as a way to increase Japanese participation in Hawaii’s timeshare market and, in turn, support the state’s tourism industry. The resolution explains that the Commission already has broad authority under chapter 467, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to administer the exam in Japanese and issue the limited license, so no statutory amendment is required. It also argues that offering the exam in Japanese could improve passage rates, help timeshare operators hire enough licensed salespersons for the Japanese market, and encourage repeat visitation and local economic participation by timeshare owners. The resolution cites other multilingual licensing exams in Hawaii, including the driver’s license exam, as precedent for language accommodation.

Impact

Because this is a resolution rather than a bill, it does not itself change Hawaii law or create new statutory requirements. Its practical effect would be advisory: it asks the Real Estate Commission and the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs to use existing authority under chapter 467 to offer the salesperson exam in Japanese and thereby expand access to a limited timeshare-sales license for Japanese-language applicants. If adopted and acted upon, the resolution could affect the licensing pathway for timeshare salespersons and potentially influence the composition of the timeshare sales workforce and the marketing of timeshare products to Japanese visitors.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment reflected in the resolution is supportive and promotional. The measure presents the proposal as beneficial to Hawaii’s tourism economy, to the timeshare industry, and to cultural and linguistic accommodation in state licensing. No opposing testimony, votes, or committee debate are provided in the record, so the available context shows only a favorable framing with no recorded dissent.

Contention

The main policy question raised by the resolution is whether the Real Estate Commission should use Japanese-language testing to facilitate sales of timeshare products to Japanese national visitors. Supporters, as reflected in the text, emphasize tourism growth, higher exam passage rates, workforce recruitment, and language access. Potential concerns, though not documented in the provided record, would likely center on whether the proposal preferentially serves a specific market segment, whether it is necessary given existing licensing rules, and whether it could raise fairness or consumer-protection questions in the timeshare industry. No formal opposition or contested committee positions are included in the materials provided.