STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3293

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 Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred H.B. No. 901, S.D. 1, 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 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 the Attorney General and Department of Transportation.

     Your Committee finds that enforcement officers of the Harbors Division of the Department of Transportation are conferred the powers of police officers and are tasked with enforcing the laws and regulations for harbors in the State.  Despite this law enforcement responsibility and authority, Harbors officers 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 Harbors officers in enforcing the laws of the State.

     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 H.B. No. 901, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

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

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GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair