STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1011

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

RE:   S.B. No. 1342

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.B. No. 1342, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PARKING FOR THE DISABLED,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to clarify the requirements for displaying disabled parking placards in vehicles of persons with disabilities by stipulating that disabled parking placards may be displayed on a vehicle's dashboard if the design of the vehicle's rearview mirror precludes secure hanging of the placard from the rearview mirror.

     A concerned individual testified in support of this bill.  The Disability and Communication Access Board (DCAB) provided comments.

     Current law requires a disabled parking placard to be displayed by hanging the placard from a rearview mirror of a motor vehicle unless the motor vehicle does not have a rearview mirror in which case the placard may be displayed on the dashboard of the vehicle.  However, some rearview mirrors are designed in a way that precludes the hanging of a disabled parking placard in a secure fashion from them.  Your Committee has been informed by DCAB that individuals with such mirrors have been given citations for illegally displaying a disabled parking placard when they placed their placards on the dashboard of their automobile.  Under those circumstances, being legally able to place a disabled parking placard on a vehicle's dashboard appears reasonable.  This measure addresses this issue.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by clarifying that the placard shall be displayed by hanging it from a rearview mirror of the vehicle when the placard is in use.

     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 S.B. No. 1342, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1342, S.D. 1, 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