Report Title:

Motor Vehicle Safety; Child Passenger

Description:

Appropriates funds to educate the public about the child passenger restraint law and to help subsidize the cost of child booster car seats for low-income families.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	534
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to child passenger safety.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that while great strides have been made to protect infants and toddlers in motor vehicle crashes, preschoolers and young children under eight years of age remain at high risk of injury.  Act 175, Session Laws of Hawaii 2006, amended Hawaii's child passenger restraint law to require a child four years of age or older, but less than eight years of age, and under certain weight and height minimums, to be properly secured in a child safety seat or booster car seat.  The new law takes effect on January 1, 2007.  The legislature further finds that the cost of purchasing booster car seats adversely impacts low-income families that may not have sufficient funds to afford booster car seats that range in price and can cost upwards of $100.

     The Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition is a statewide, community-based organization that was established in 1991 to help prevent injuries to children and youth in Hawaii.  Automobile safety is one of the organization's major focuses as traffic related injuries continue to be the leading cause of death for Hawaii's children and youth.

     The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to educate the public about the child passenger restraint law and to help subsidize the cost of child booster car seats for low-income families.

     SECTION 2.  (a)  The Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition shall:

     (1)  Launch an effective public education and media campaign to educate the public about Hawaii's child passenger restraint law;

     (2)  Design and implement a program to help subsidize the cost of booster car seats that meet federal motor vehicle safety standards at the time of their manufacture for low-income families whose combined family incomes do not exceed two hundred per cent of the federal poverty level for a family of applicable size as follows:

         (A)         per cent of the cost if the combined family income is two hundred per cent of the federal poverty level or less;

         (B)         per cent of the cost if the combined family income is one hundred fifty per cent of the federal poverty level or less; and

         (C)         per cent of the cost if the combined family income is one hundred per cent of the federal poverty level or less; and

     (3)  Consult with the department of human services regarding the design and implementation of the subsidy program.

     (b)  The Honolulu police department shall:

     (1)  Assist the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition with the design and implementation of the subsidy program described in subsection (a); and

     (2)  Issue and distribute vouchers for subsidies for booster car seats to nonprofit organizations operating child safety seat programs.

     SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $           or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 to educate the public about the child passenger restraint law and to subsidize the cost of child booster car seats for low-income families pursuant to section 2.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the Honolulu police department for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.