Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 469, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

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

Your Committee finds that last year, the four counties issued approximately thirty-three thousand removable windshield placards and temporary removable windshield placards to qualified persons with disabilities. The counties recovered the administrative costs by charging a fee to applicants to process the issuance of the placards.

However, the federal courts have ruled that the imposition of a fee on qualified persons with disabilities is an impermissible surcharge under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Your Committee finds that, as a result of the courts’ rulings, the counties are no longer able to recoup any of the administrative costs related to the issuance of the removable windshield placards.

Your Committee agrees with the intent of this Act, which appropriates unspecified sums to the counties to cover the administrative costs of the program in lieu of charging applicants a fee, and finds that it is in the interest of the State to have the counties continue administering the program on behalf of the State.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 469, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.