Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 2527 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to allow owners of special interest vehicles to legally operate their vehicles on Oahu. Specifically, this bill expands the definition of "street rod vehicle" and "street rod replica vehicle" to include vehicles manufactured before 1968 or manufactured after 1967 to resemble a vehicle manufactured before 1968.

Mr. Sandman Inc., Security Alarm Shop, Kaimuki ACE Hardware, Fred's Auto Top Shop, Inc., and numerous concerned citizens testified in support of this measure. The Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Customer Services of the City and County of Honolulu opposed this measure.

The current law does not allow any resident of the City and County of Honolulu to register a vehicle that is a "street rod" or "street rod replica vehicle" manufactured between 1949 and 1967. Other counties throughout the State are exempted from this law. Your Committee notes that replica vehicle owners are generally professionals who are contributing members of society and often invest thousands of dollars in their vehicles only to be denied the ability to register their vehicles and drive them legally on Honolulu's streets.

Although your Committee understands concerns raised by DOT regarding the safety of these replica vehicles, the lack of data regarding the safety of these vehicles, as well as the fact that other counties do not regulate these replica vehicles leads your Committee to believe that these vehicles are not a danger to the public.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

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. 2527, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2527, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.