Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 213 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow driver licenses to be renewed by mail, regardless of whether or not the applicant is temporarily absent from the State.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation, Disability and Communication Access Board (Board), Honolulu Customer Services Department, and Honolulu Police Department.

Current law permits renewal by mail of driver licenses only if the applicant is temporarily out of State. This measure eliminates that condition, so that all drivers can renew by mail. This measure also deletes the reference to being a resident for purposes of renewal, since residency is not required to obtain a license. Your Committees find that the current distinction between being in the State and being temporarily out of the State for purposes of renewal by mail has no rational basis. Your Committees further find that this measure would not jeopardize the public safety and welfare.

Testimony by the Board indicates that the counties have not adopted rules for the examiner of licenses to determine when an applicant is disqualified from obtaining a license because of a physical or mental disability. A lack of rules results in the exercise of individual judgment in place of objective standards, which is not fair to a disabled applicant. Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure to require the examiner of drivers to adopt rules.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 213, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 213, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.