A new piece of legislation could allow Hawaii officials to use time-stamped screenshots as evidence in enforcement cases against illegal vacation rentals.

If passed, no inspection would be required under House Bill 1590, which is now moving through the legislature.

A rental that appeared legitimate when booked months earlier could later be scrutinized via “screenshot” evidence, according to the “Beat of Hawaii.”

Counties wouldn’t need time-consuming investigations to prove a property was marketed as a short-term rental.

READ MORE: HGTV stars fined $40,000 in Honolulu for running illegal short-term rentals

The bill, introduced by Sen. Adrian Tam, is the result of dozens of short-term rental operators operating illegally.

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In Oahu alone, only about a quarter of the island’s 8,000 Airbnb listings operate legally as short-term vacation rentals, yet thousands appear online despite failing to meet county rules.

Visitors assume platform listings are legal, but most aren’t.

If passed, the bill would also require platforms to collect service fees to register as tax collection agents with the state Department of Taxation.

Airbnb and VRBO would collect and remit General Excise Tax and Transient Accommodations Tax directly. Whether platforms absorb compliance costs or pass them to guests remains unclear, though new costs typically land on bookings.

Opposition has emerged from the Libertarian Party of Hawaii, which calls the measure government overreach that forces private companies into tax collection roles.

“This bill is a textbook example of cronyist government intervention that distorts free markets, punishes voluntary exchange, and expands state coercion under the pretext of ‘enforcement’ and ‘destination management.’ It represents everything wrong with Hawaii’s regulatory mindset,” the organization said, per “Pacific Business News.“

“Under this proposed law, bureaucrats decide who can rent their own property and how they must report to the state. It forces private platforms to act as unpaid tax collectors while claiming to protect local tourism.”

Not everyone is fighting against the legislation.

Supporters, including the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, say the bill strengthens tax compliance and reduces housing units lost to illegal visitor use. HB 1590 must clear the full Hawaii Legislature before Governor review.