Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 1902 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to improve Hawaii's mass transit system. Specifically, this measure creates a Mass Transit Special Fund that will be managed by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and used for:

(2) Improving the State's van pool system.

The City Councilmember from District VIII and concerned individuals testified in support of this bill. The Department of Budget and Fiscal Services of the City and County of Honolulu supported the intent of this measure. The Department of Taxation opposed this bill.

Your Committee finds that most modern metropolitan areas around the world have a mass transit system to help alleviate traffic congestion and that a mode of convenient, reliable transportation other than the private automobile needs to be offered to help solve traffic problems statewide, especially on Oahu. Without a long-term, multimodal, mass transit solution, the situation will only worsen.

This measure would be a first step in the process of developing options for our long-range transportation strategy and provides the counties with a means by which to begin the process of planning for mass transit systems.

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. 1902 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.