STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1129

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1427

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Transportation and International Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1427 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to change the minimum headlamp height requirement from twenty-four to twenty-two inches, and to delete the requirement that a license plate be attached no lower than twelve inches above the ground.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation.

     Your Committee finds that some new vehicles are manufactured with headlamps that are less than twenty-four inches but not less than twenty-two inches above the road surface.  Lowering the height requirement will legalize the operation of these new vehicles without compromising the required visibility at night.  The twenty-two inch requirement is congruent with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, which supercedes state law.

     Your Committee further finds that the height requirement for license plates is not necessary as long as the plates are clearly visible and reasonably clean as required by current law.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and International Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1427, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and International Affairs,

____________________________

J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair