STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2949

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 134

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations, to which was referred H.B. No. 134, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVER LICENSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Prohibit an applicant for a driver's license who does not submit proof that the applicant's presence in the United States is authorized by law from receiving a driver's license;

     (2)  Provide that the driver's license for a legal immigrant shall expire no later than the licensee's authorized period of stay in the United States; and

     (3)  Establish by rule a fee for all driver's license applicants who require verification through the federal system that their presence in the United States is authorized by federal law.

     Written comments in support of the measure were submitted by one state department and one county agency.  Written comments presented to your Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, P.L. 109-13, requires that, in order for a Hawaii State driver's license to be accepted as proof of identity for boarding airplanes or for entering federal buildings, Hawaii must adopt provisions requiring that the presence in the United States of the driver's license applicant or licensee be legal under federal law.  Presently, Hawaii is one of only a handful of states that do not yet have these requirements in place.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2010, as recommended by the Department of Transportation; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for purposes of style, consistency, and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 134, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 134, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Government Operations,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair