STAND. COM. REP. NO.  57

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 1549

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 1549 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve traffic flow by:

(1)  Requiring the Honolulu Police Department (HPD) to establish Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Teams (MAITs) to conduct expeditious investigations of serious accidents on major roadways; and

     (2)  Appropriating funds for the establishment of MAITs.

     The Hawaii Highway Users Alliance and several concerned individuals testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu and HPD testified in opposition to this measure.

     On-site investigations of accident scenes and their resultant lane closures cause numerous problems for motorists, including secondary accidents and traffic delays.  Recent traffic incidents have caused delays lasting from between two to eight hours.  Your Committee finds that MAITs are used in many other cities of comparable size across the country and that through the use of these teams, accident scene investigation times showed a significant reduction, providing quicker relief to commuters.

     This problem is a statewide issue, not just an issue applicable to the City and County of Honolulu.  Your Committee further notes that although memorandums of understanding (MOUs) and memorandums of agreement (MOAs) are often used between various government agencies, use of MOUs or MOAs in MAIT investigations is not feasible.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Removing the population restriction on the establishment of MAITs, thereby requiring MAITs to be established in the police department of each county;

     (2)  Clarifying that the county police departments shall enter into contracts with other state or county agencies or the private sector to obtain the services of personnel necessary to establish MAITs if necessary personnel cannot be found within the ranks of the county police department;

     (3)  Clarifying that the county police departments shall establish protocols, as necessary, to coordinate investigations of major accidents with law enforcement and other authorities having jurisdiction over the location of a major accident;

     (4)  Changing the appropriation amount to $1 and making the appropriation applicable to each county's MAIT program; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

     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. 1549, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1549, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation,

____________________________

JOSEPH M. SOUKI, Chair