Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations, to which was referred S.B. No. 2244 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to exempt counties with a population of less than 150,000, rather than less than 500,000, from the law on inspection and approval of reconstructed vehicles.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Department of Transportation and Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association. Testimony in opposition was received from the Honolulu Police Department. Comments were received from the City and County of Honolulu Department of Customer Services.

Section 286-85, Hawaii Revised Statutes, provides that no person shall operate a reconstructed vehicle upon a public highway unless it has been inspected and certified by the designated county agency and has met the proper safety standards established by the Department of Transportation. Subsection (f) provides an exception for privately owned reconstructed vehicles in a county with a population of less than 500,000.

Your Committee finds that the purpose of requiring the inspection and certification of reconstructed vehicles is to preserve the integrity of the original safety standards and features of each vehicle to the greatest extent possible. Your Committee acknowledges that regulating the reconstruction of vehicles helps protect the State and counties against unwanted and unanticipated liability.

According to testimony of the Honolulu Police Department, exempted reconstructed motor vehicles threatens the safety of public highways and continues to be a problem throughout the State, particularly on the neighbor islands where the population falls under the current exemption determination.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2244 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.