STAND. COM. REP. NO.  755

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 1089

      H.D. 2

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred H.B. No. 1089, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to mitigate the burdens of obtaining a yearly certificate of motor vehicle inspection, while maintaining public safety, by requiring that motor vehicle inspections be conducted every two years rather than annually.

The Department of Transportation, Aloha Shell Service, Kaanapali Car Care, Alik's Automotive Repair and Service LLC, and a few individuals testified in opposition to this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring that motor vehicle inspections be conducted every two years rather than annually for vehicles registered in a county with a population of 300,000 or less;

     (2)  Maintaining the annual motor vehicle inspection requirement for vehicles registered in a county with a population over 300,000;

     (3)  Specifying that the certificate of inspection fee for vehicles registered in a county with a population of 300,000 or less shall reflect the aggregate cost as if annual inspections were conducted over the two year certification period;

     (4)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2112, to encourage further discussion; and

     (5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     Your Committee respectfully notes that despite concerns raised during the public hearing regarding the number of motor vehicle breakdowns on state highways, such as Interstate H-2, the safety check process is not an exhaustive inspection that will identify and prevent all mechanical defects.

     Additionally, your Committee notes that the Department of Transportation testified that there are approximately 300 service stations on Oahu that are official inspection stations qualified to offer motor vehicle inspections for a safety check, and the availability of official inspection stations is not an issue.  However, members of your Committee who are representatives from the neighbor islands expressed concerns because there are not many official inspection stations available on their respective islands.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by restricting the two-year safety check requirement to counties with a population of 300,000 or less.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1089, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1089, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

ANGUS L.K. McKELVEY, Chair