STAND. COM. REP. NO.  701

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 1549

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1549, H.D. 1, 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 alleviate the harm caused by extended road closures currently triggered by investigations of major accidents.

     Specifically, this bill requires county police departments to establish multidisciplinary accident investigation teams composed of skilled, trained investigators equipped to conduct expeditious investigations of serious accidents on major roadways.  The bill further requires the county police departments to adopt procedures and protocols to organize and operate the multidisciplinary teams and a mechanism to collect, measure, and report data to determine the effectiveness of the teams.  The county police departments are also required to adopt rules and to report their progress to the Legislature prior to the convening of the 2008, 2009, and 2010 regular sessions.  Finally, this bill appropriates $1 as a grant-in-aid to each of the counties to establish county multidisciplinary accident investigation teams.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this bill from the Legislative Information Services of Hawaii and one individual.  The Department of Transportation offered comments.  The Police Department of the City and County of Honolulu submitted testimony in opposition.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Acceding to a suggestion from the Police Department of the City and County of Honolulu to eliminate the requirement that county police departments adopt rules; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2015, for the purpose of stimulating further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1549, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1549, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Public Safety & Military Affairs,

____________________________

CINDY EVANS, Chair