Hawaii House Passes H.B. 548

H.B. 548 was passed by the House on March 8. Media Coalition sent a letter to all Hawaii House members outlining the bill's constitutional problems, with a focus on the amendments added to the bill in the House Judiciary Committee. At a hearing on March 1, Hawaii's House Judiciary passed H.B. 548 with an amendment establishing a task force to study the problem of trespassing. The House also added a requirement that the author or publisher of a guidebook warn readers of dangerous conditions. The amended bill does not remove the third party liability language.

Hawaii Senate Bill 1207 and House Bill 548 are companion bills would hold publishers and authors of visitor guides and websites that "invite, attract, or encourage" readers to trespass on private property liable if those readers trespass and suffer injury or death while doing so. The bill would also impose a duty to warn readers of dangerous conditions on the author or publisher of a guide book.