STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1031

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

RE:   S.B. No. 1416

      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. 1416, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAY SAFETY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to reduce the burden of new car owners in obtaining a certificate of inspection on their vehicle by lengthening the period during which new vehicles are exempted from safety inspections from two years to three years after the date of purchase.

     The Department of Customer Services of the City and County of Honolulu and several concerned individuals testified in opposition to this measure.  The Department of Transportation (DOT) provided comments.

     In general, new vehicles sold in Hawaii are covered under warranties lasting for three years or 36,000 miles.  As Hawaii drivers typically amass an average of 10,000 miles per year on their vehicles, their new vehicles are unlikely to experience major mechanical defects during the first three years after their purchase.  Thus, the present timeframe for safety inspection of new vehicles appears to be unnecessarily burdensome on the owners.

     However, your Committee notes that DOT raised concerns that the current effective date of this measure did not provide sufficient time for safety inspection stickers that are placed on vehicles that would meet this new timeframe to be ordered and sent to safety inspection stations.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by changing its effective date to January 1, 2013.

     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. 1416, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1416, 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