STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2702

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2730

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred S.B. No. 2730 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish driver's licensing reciprocity privileges between Hawaii and foreign countries under certain conditions and to repeal the current statute regarding the Driver's License Reciprocity Committee.

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

     Your Committee finds that as a gateway location between East and West, Hawaii is an international gathering place where people from all over the world migrate to live, work, and attend school.  Hawaii residents also migrate to other countries for the same purposes.  The ability to drive is critical to the quality of life in Hawaii and in many other countries.  This measure facilitates the ability to drive by providing driver's licensing reciprocity with other countries under specified conditions.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Adopting the language suggested by the Department of Transportation to:

          (A)  Require a nonresident operator of a vehicle, in order to qualify for reciprocity privileges, to also possess a current and valid international driving permit and driver's license when operating a vehicle on public roadways and to present both to a law enforcement officer upon request; and

          (B)  Insert an effective date of January 1, 2034, to provide time for the Department of Transportation to evaluate, draft, and hold public hearings on administrative rules; and

     (2)  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 Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2730, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2730, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary and Labor,

____________________________

CLAYTON HEE, Chair