STAND. COM. REP. NO. 921-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: S.B. No. 2311
                                     S.D. 1
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.B.
No. 2311, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MANDATORY USE OF SEATBELTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to require all passengers in
motor vehicles to wear seatbelts.

     The bill requires all passengers over the age of four in a
motor vehicle to fasten their seatbelts, regardless if they are
in the front or back seat.  The bill would take effect on July 1,
2000.

     Your Committee finds that under current law, the driver and
front-seat passengers, who are four years of age or older, must
be restrained by seat belt assemblies, and that children under
the age of four must be restrained in child passenger restraint
systems, commonly referred to as car seats.  Your Committee
further finds that, back-seat passengers incur serious injuries
and deaths, which could be prevented by utilizing back-seat
seatbelts.  

     Testimonies in support of this bill were received from the
Department of Transportation, Department of Health, Mothers
Against Drunk Driving, Youth in Action, Hawaii Medical
Association, Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition, State Farm Mutual
Automobile Insurance Company, the Honolulu Police Department, and

 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 921-00
                                 Page 2

 
a concerned citizen.  Written testimony in opposition to this
bill was received from a concerned citizen. 

     Your Committee has amended this bill by deleting its
substance and replacing it with the contents of H.B. 1760 H.D. 1,
a similar bill that passed the House after public hearings before
this Committee and your Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian
Affairs.  As amended, this bill:

     (1)  Requires use of back-seat seatbelts for passengers age
          17 and under;

     (2)  Raises the current fine of $20 to $45; and

     (3)  Takes effect on approval.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
2311, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2311, S.D.
1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and
Hawaiian Affairs.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Transportation,



                                   ______________________________
                                   KENNETH T. HIRAKI, Chair