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. 2335 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to eliminate the requirement that a neighborhood electric vehicle (NEV) display a "slow moving vehicle" emblem when traveling on public roads.

The Department of Transportation testified in support of this measure.

Current law restricts the operation of NEVs to roads with a speed limit not greater than 35 miles per hour. Moreover, the slow moving vehicle emblem designation was intended to be used and designed primarily for heavy machinery and farm equipment that is driven on roads that typically have a speed limit in excess of 35 miles per hour. Thus, the utilization of the slow moving vehicle identification emblem on NEVs appears to be unnecessary.

However, some questions were raised regarding what a NEV exactly was and whether or not electric vehicles sold and designated for use on city streets fit into this category. Thus, to facilitate further discussion, your Committee has amended this measure by changing the effective date to July 1, 2010.

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. 2335, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2335, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.