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. 469, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to appropriate funds as a grant-in-aid to counties for administration of the program to issue removable windshield placards for parking to qualified persons with disabilities.

The Disability and Communications Access Board, Advocates for Consumer Rights, and Honolulu Police Department testified in support of this measure.

The City and County of Honolulu supported the intent of the measure but had some concerns regarding the funding for the equipment and costs of issuing picture identification cards and requested that an amendment be made to the bill to include this figure.

Your Committee understands that many individuals violate current disabled parking laws, creating difficulties for qualifying disabled persons to access businesses in this State. According to the Honolulu Police Department, approximately 3,000 violations of disabled parking laws were recorded last year. By having picture identification cards or placards, the police departments would be able to more effectively enforce the disabled parking laws and issue citations to violators.

The counties administer the issuance of parking placards for the disabled. They previously charged a fee for the placards and used the funds to administer the program, but are now prohibited from charging fees due to a court ruling. This bill is an attempt to seek compensation for the counties in response to their efforts on behalf of the State.

Your Committee understands that this is a very important measure and would like to accommodate the costs to the counties for the new identification cards and placards. Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

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. 469, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 469, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.