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 S.B. No. 2307 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to expand the definition of "photographs" to include electronic or digital pictures for the purposes of Hawaii's Rules of Evidence.

The Maui Police Department and several concerned citizens testified in support of this measure. The Department of Transportation, the Judiciary, and the Office of the Public Defender commented on this measure.

Your Committee finds that with advances in photographic technology, electronic or digital photography has become as prevalent and at least as accurate as film photography. Through the use of such technology, the safety of crash scene investigators is improved by minimizing their physical exposure to traffic. Moreover, the occurrence of secondary collisions and significant and costly delays to the motoring public can be minimized through the use of photogrammetric technology.

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 S.B. No. 2307 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.