STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1599

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 167
                                        H.D. 3
                                        S.D. 2




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No.
167, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVER
     LICENSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill, as received by your Committee, is
to create a driving curfew for minors, establish a statewide
driver education program to substitute in part for road test
elements of the driver's license examination, and provide for
mandatory license revocation for any minor convicted of a moving
violation.

     Your Committee finds that minor drivers are generally
inexperienced drivers, and that public policy warrants ensuring
that they are well prepared to be safe drivers by the time they
are fully licensed.  However, your Committee does not believe
that sanctions for traffic violations committed by minors should
be more severe than for the same violations committed by an
adult.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the
Department of Transportation, the Governor's Highway Safety
Council Impaired Driving Task Force, the Department of Customer
Services for the City and County of Honolulu, the Maui Police
Department, the Honolulu Police Department, Mothers Against Drunk
Driving, the Hawaii Association of Safety Traffic Educators, the

 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1599
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Hawaii Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Hawaii
State Teachers Association, AAA Hawaii, and four individuals.
Testimony supporting the intent of the bill but objecting to
specific provisions was submitted by the Department of Education.
Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the
Office of the Public Defender.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this
measure by:

     (1)  Adding an emergency exception to the curfew provisions;

     (2)  Changing the start of the curfew to 12:00 a.m.;

     (3)  Changing from 21 to 18 the minimum age at which a
          passenger who is a licensed driver will provide an
          exception to the curfew requirement;

     (4)  Deleting a provision that would have prevented a minor
          from submitting an authorizing note from a parent or
          guardian after being charged with a curfew violation;

     (5)  Raising to 15 years and 6 months the age at which a
          minor may apply for a permit;

     (6)  Raising to 16 the minimum age for licensing;

     (7)  Limiting mandatory driver education to driver's license
          applicants under the age of eighteen;

     (8)  Clarifying that a person must have a permit to operate
          a motor vehicle in connection with behind-the-wheel
          training; and

     (9)  Making technical, non-substantive changes for the
          purposes of clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
167, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it
pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 167,
H.D. 3, S.D. 2.


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1599
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                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Judiciary,



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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