STAND. COM. REP. NO.877
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2001
RE: S.B. No. 209
S.D. 2
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-First State Legislature
Regular Session of 2001
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 209, S.D. 2, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PARKING FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to prevent misuse of disabled parking placards by:
(1) Making it an offense for a physician to fraudulently verify an applicant as a person with a disability;
(2) Establishing procedures for the replacement of lost, stolen, or mutilated placards;
(3) Charging individuals who fraudulently manufacture or alter placards and identification cards with a petty misdemeanor violation; and
(4) Issuing picture identification cards.
The Advocates for Consumer Rights, Disability and Communication Access Board (DCAB), and Honolulu Police Department submitted testimony in support of this measure.
The City and County of Honolulu (City) supported the intent of the measure but had concerns with regards to the counties issuing picture identification cards. The City notes that changing their present procedure would require additional funding to obtain equipment to place pictures on identification cards and that this funding should come from DCAB. Accordingly, the City requested that funds be made available to DCAB for this purpose.
A private citizen also testified in support of the intent of this measure with amendments. The individual expressed concern about persons who are permanently disabled having to apply for recertification by a physician for a placard and the unauthorized use of placards by relatives of disabled persons who are deceased.
Your Committee realizes current laws regarding parking for persons with disabilities are often abused and violated. Many of these problems deal with persons who have placards who do not meet the definition of being disabled under the law, individuals with multiple placards, and individuals with fraudulently altered and manufactured parking placards. This bill will make it more difficult for these violations to take place.
Your Committee finds this measure to be crucial in preventing further abuse of placards and is passing this measure unamended in the interest of time. However, your Committee requests that the next committee to further consider:
(1) Methods to prevent unauthorized use of placards issued to individuals who have since deceased;
(2) Alternatives to physician authorized recertification of individuals who are permanently disabled; and
(3) Discussions among DCAB, related organizations, and affected individuals in an effort to clarify and amend DCAB's administrative rules with regard to these concerns.
Your Committee finds that recertification may cause financial hardship as individuals are sometimes required to pay for an office visit to their physician merely to get their certification form signed.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 209, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,
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____________________________ DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair |