STAND. COM. REP. NO. 200

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 273

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Transportation and Energy, to which was referred S.B. No. 273 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FUEL TAXES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to permit the County of Hawai‘i to appropriate the county's share of fuel tax revenue for the maintenance of substandard private subdivision roads that are used by the public, provided that neither the State nor the county shall be required to install infrastructure improvements if the roads are thereafter sold to a private entity.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from one individual.

     Your Committees find that the proper maintenance of roadways used by the public is essential for maintaining public safety.  Specifically, Hawai‘i County has many substandard, private subdivision roads that are regularly traversed by members of the public.  It is therefore justifiable and necessary to allow Hawai‘i County to use its share of fuel tax revenue to perform maintenance on these privately-owned but publicly-used roads to repair the existing substandard conditions.  However, it should not be the county's responsibility to further maintain these roads if a private entity subsequently acquires the subdivisions and the roads therein.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Transportation and Energy that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 273 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Transportation and Energy,

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair