STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2960

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 901

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation and Energy, to which was referred H.B. No. 901 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize law enforcement vehicles of the Department of the Attorney General and Harbors Division of the Department of Transportation that are equipped with lights and sirens to be authorized emergency vehicles.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation, Department of the Attorney General, and one individual.

     Appointed enforcement officers of the Harbors Division are conferred the powers of police officers and are tasked with enforcing the laws and regulations for harbors in the State.  Your Committee finds that despite this law enforcement responsibility and authority, they do not have the official and explicit authority to use law enforcement vehicles with emergency response lights.  This measure would explicitly allow the use of emergency response lights on approved law enforcement vehicles to assist them in enforcing the laws of the State.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting reference to law enforcement vehicles of the Department of the Attorney General;

     (2)  Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2030, to encourage further discussion; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Energy that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 901, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 901, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Energy,

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair