STAND. COM. REP. NO. 524

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1325

       S.D. 1

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 1325 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE REGISTRATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to define the term "after market motorcycle frame", allow a county Director of Finance to assign a vehicle identification number to a motorcycle with an after market frame, and disallow the registration of uncertified motor vehicles and devices with certain exceptions.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation and Department of Customer Services of the City and County of Honolulu.

     Your Committee finds that the intent of this measure is to disallow the motor vehicle registration of uncertified motor vehicles and devices, which is critical to protect the public safety.  The broad definition of "motorcycle" under section 286-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, allows motorcycles that were manufactured for only off-road use to be registered for use on public roads.  This measure restricts motor vehicle registration to only those vehicles that are in compliance with all applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.  In effect, off-road dirt motorcycles and pocket motorcycles cannot be registered and therefore cannot be driven on public roads. 

     The purpose of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards is to promote highway safety.  Requiring compliance with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to register a motorcycle registration will reduce the probability of uncertified vehicles being on the public roads, thereby contributing to highway safety.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1325, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1325, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection,

____________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair