STAND. COM. REP. NO.3267

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.B. No. 2349

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 2349, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AUTHORIZED EMERGENCY VEHICLES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purposes of this measure are:

(1) To apply the "authorized emergency vehicles" exemption from the Statewide Traffic Code to every vehicle used by a police officer during the performance of any police function;

(2) To expand the "authorized emergency vehicles" exemption to include authorization to drive on the shoulders and medians of roadways and in controlled-access roadways;

(3) To remove the requirement that law enforcement personnel operating such emergency vehicles use audible and visual signals, except when driving on shoulders, medians, or controlled-access roadways; and

(4) To exempt police motorcycles entirely from the requirement of using audible and visual signals while engaged in an emergency.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Honolulu Police Department.

Your Committee agrees that our law enforcement personnel require the ability to respond to emergencies, including exemptions from general driving laws while responding to such situations. Therefore, your Committee supports this measure, to better equip law enforcement agencies to respond to emergency situations.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2349, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

____________________________

BRIAN KANNO, Chair