STAND. COM. REP. NO.  591

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 714

      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. 714 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to assist the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) in the enforcement of environmental laws and to protect their law enforcement personnel by:

     (1)  Allowing the use of blue lights on approved law                    enforcement vehicles of its Division of Conservation and      Resource Enforcement Division (DOCARE); and

     (2)  Amending the definition of authorized emergency vehicles      to include DOCARE vehicles.

     DLNR, Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, and numerous DOCARE Officers testified in support of this bill.  The Honolulu Police Department (HPD) testified in opposition to this measure.

     Under State law, DOCARE officers are provided with full police powers to enforce all State laws and county ordinances within all lands and waters of the State.  However, patrol vehicles currently used by DOCARE are not authorized to use blue lights on their vehicles.  The use of these blue lights would not only act as a deterrent to criminal activity on State lands but also provides safety for DOCARE officers as they are relatively easily identified as law enforcement personnel.

     However, your Committee does understand concerns raised by HPD that use of blue lights may confuse the public as to what branch of law enforcement the DOCARE officer belongs to.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Specifying that lights used on DOCARE vehicles shall be       a combination of blue and red lights; and

     (2)  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. 714, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 714, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

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

____________________________

JOSEPH M. SOUKI, Chair