STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2441

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2714

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Energy, to which was referred S.B. No. 2714 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE WEIGHT TAX,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to exclude the weight of vehicle modifications made to assist a person with a disability to enter or exit the vehicle from the determination of net weight for non-commercial vehicles for the purpose of levying state and county motor vehicle weight taxes.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Disability and Communications Access Board and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Transportation and Tax Foundation of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that residents with a disability or their families often have a vehicle with extra weight, due to the lifts, ramps, motors, and vehicle chassis reinforcements needed to accommodate ingress and egress in the vehicle by the person with a disability. Your Committee believes that it is a hardship for these residents to pay more in vehicle weight taxes simply for needing a lift or ramp in their vehicle. This measure will offer some tax relief to disabled individuals and families who retrofit their vehicles to meet their or their loved one's accessibility needs.

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 S.B. No. 2714 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair