Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 2509 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to make parking easier for a person with a disability by establishing penalties for parking in access aisles adjacent to a disabled parking stall.

The Disability and Communication Access Board and the Hawaii Disability Rights Center testified in support of this measure. The Honolulu Police Department supported the intent of the bill.

Since an individual with a disability often needs extra space to access their vehicle in a safe manner, keeping the access aisles next to a disabled parking stall seems logical. Parking in these access aisles oftentimes renders the actual disabled parking stall useless. Current law does not prohibit a person from parking within these access aisles, thus making attempts to issue citations to persons parking in these aisles, futile.

However, your Committee finds that the language of the current bill needs to be clarified to strengthen this measure.

Accordingly, the bill has been amended by:

Although your Committee believes that this is an important measure, there are concerns that the penalties for parking in these access aisles may be excessive. Moreover, your Committee recognizes that persons with disabilities may need to park in these access aisles if no other disabled parking stall is available and may be penalized for doing so.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2509, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2509, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.