Disturbed by mismanagement and potential security lapses at the Bureau of Conveyances, the state House and Senate are planning to form a joint investigative committee that would parallel ongoing state criminal and ethics probes.

State senators chose to pursue the committee after hearing about dysfunction and possible criminal activity at the bureau — which handles land and title documents — during confirmation hearings this month for Peter Young as director of the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Senators cited management problems at the bureau as among the reasons they voted against confirming Young for another four-year term.

The state attorney general's office and state Ethics Commission are investigating the bureau over potential document tampering, unexplained checks for bureau employees, and preferential treatment for select title companies.

"Our major concern is the integrity of the system," said Senate president Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha).

The committee would have the power to subpoena witnesses and documents and hold hearings as it examines management, fiscal accountability and the security of thousands of land and title records processed by the bureau each year.

"These guys want to play investigators," state Sen. Sam Slom, R-8th (Kahala, Hawai'i Kai), who was critical of the idea. "We should worry more about doing our jobs as senators."

Reach Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.