Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 74 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to amend the requirements for obtaining commercial driver's licenses.

The Hawaii Transportation Association submitted testimony in support of this measure. The Department of Transportation submitted testimony in opposition to this measure.

Currently, the law requires applicants for a commercial driver's license to be at least twenty-one years old. However, there is a shortage of commercial drivers in Hawaii and the age requirement for commercial licenses makes recruiting younger individuals, such as high school seniors, difficult because they have to wait years to obtain a license.

Your Committee finds that lowering the age requirement will increase the number of qualified individuals for commercial drivers which will begin to alleviate the commercial driver shortage.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive stylistic changes.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 74, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 74, S.D. 1.