The third of three concurrent investigations into alleged mismanagement at the state Bureau of Conveyances begins today with the opening hearing of a legislative joint investigative committee.

The bureau — which handles land and title documents — is already under investigation by the state Ethics Commission and the state attorney general. Some of the details of these investigations were shared with state senators during the Peter Young confirmation hearings and included accusations of bribery, preferential treatment and possible security breaches.

Mismanagement of the bureau was cited among the reasons the Senate voted against reconfirming Young as the director of the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Shortly after that controversial decision, Senate and House members announced that they would also begin their own investigation.

Rep. Joe Souki, co-chair of the investigative committee, said that the joint committee was not formed to justify not giving Young another term. Noting that he was not part of the Senate confirmation proceedings, he said, "I have nothing to defend, no ax to grind."

Part of his concern, particularly as a Realtor, is that the problems go back to when he was speaker of the House in the 1990s. Anecdotal evidence indicates the bureau is still poorly organized, with a roomful of unopened mail, he said.

Forming investigative committees with the power to subpoena witnesses and documents is rare for the state Legislature, which last formed one to look at the state's compliance with the Felix Consent Decree.

In this case, the criminal and ethics investigators are already looking into potential document tampering, unexplained checks for bureau employees, improper placement of private computers within the public offices and preferential treatment for select title companies.

However, Sen. Jill Tokuda, co-chair of the investigative committee, said that the Legislature wanted to do a broad investigation into the bureau to cover the gaps left between the ethics and criminal investigations. After hearing the testimony during the confirmation hearing, senators only have a snapshot of some of the potential problems within the bureau, Tokuda said, but added, "I think there were some serious concerns raised."

The investigation will be systemwide and could yield recommendations to the administration for reorganizing a bureau plagued with a history of complaints that go much farther back than Young's tenure. "It's no secret it's an ill-run organization," Souki said.

Although the administration, not the Legislature, determines how the department will be handled, Souki said, "We can act as a spur."

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com.