STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3051

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2034

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Transportation and International Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2034, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO UNATTENDED CHILDREN IN MOTOR VEHICLES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to protect the children of Hawaii by:

     (1)  Prohibiting operators and adult passengers of motor vehicles from leaving the vehicle with an unattended child under the age of nine, inside for five minutes or more, as a violation of the statewide traffic code for which a violator may only be fined;

     (2)  Requiring that knowledge of the prohibition be tested on the driver's examination; and

     (3)  Requiring rental car companies to provide notice of the prohibition in each rental motor vehicle.

     Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Office of the Governor; the Department of the Attorney General; the Department of Human Services; the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Honolulu; State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company; Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai‘i; Hot Spot; and one individual.

     Your Committee finds that that Hawaii is not immune to the tragic consequences of children left unattended in vehicles.  Four times within seven months in 2005, children were left in cars that were stolen.  Since 2003, three children have died from heat stroke after being left unattended in a car by a parent or caregiver.  While parents and caregivers know it is not safe to leave children home alone and unattended, they continue to leave children unattended in a car even though it is as dangerous, or more so.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting its content and replacing it with the content of S.B. No. 2245, S.D. 1.  As amended, this measure makes technical, nonsubstantive amendments to conform to the preferred drafting style.

     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. 2034, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2034, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

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

____________________________

J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair