Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2995 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve commercial motor vehicle safety by adopting the congressionally mandated changes of the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from Department of Transportation, Department of Customer Services of the City and County of Honolulu, and Honolulu Police Department.

The revisions adopted by the U.S. Congress, as contained in this measure, are designed to enhance the safety of commercial vehicle operations on our nation's highways by ensuring that only safe drivers can drive commercial motor vehicles. The primary benefit is expected to be a reduction in the number of truck-related crashes because of stricter enforcement of driver disqualification requirements. According to the department's justification sheet, more commercial vehicle drivers are expected to be suspended or disqualified for violations of new disqualifying offenses and serious traffic violations.

Your Committees have amended this measure on the recommendation of the Judiciary to:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations and Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2995, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2995, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.