HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
165 |
THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING The united states CONGRESS TO CONSIDER INTrastate AIR TRAVEL IN HAWAII AS A SPECIAL CASE AND to pass legislation authorizing hawaii to regulate intrastate air travel.
WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii is an island chain with its counties separated by many miles of open ocean, making residents of and visitors to the State of Hawaii critically and uniquely dependent upon air transportation as the only efficient way to travel between islands; and
WHEREAS, many residents commute daily between the islands by air and are thus highly dependent upon access to convenient, reliable, safe, and affordable air transportation services; and
WHEREAS, residents often also must fly inter-island for health care, family emergencies, and other urgent reasons, often without time to plan in advance for these trips; and
WHEREAS, residents of Hawaii require air travel services that are flexible and able to accommodate the need to make travel plans on short notice when emergencies arise; and
WHEREAS, intrastate air travel is the only viable mode of transportation between the State's counties for most residents, unlike in other states where public roads and highways provide a means of connection; and
WHEREAS, there is limited competition for intrastate air transportation services, which creates a monopolistic market that manipulates fee structures, flight schedules, and standards of service; and
WHEREAS, currently, rates are high and routes are limited, which causes flights to sell out frequently; and
WHEREAS, intrastate air travel in Hawaii was previously regulated by the State, until preempted by the 1978 Airline Deregulation Act; and
WHEREAS, under current regulations, Hawaii's intrastate flights are considered federally-regulated interstate travel even though they occur fully within the State; and
WHEREAS, the State has no control over the routes and rates established by the Federal Aviation Administration or the effects that these measures have on the unique intrastate air transport needs of Hawaii residents and visitors; and
WHEREAS, the State can only regulate its intrastate air travel through the enactment of federal legislation recognizing Hawaii as a special case, which is how intrastate air travel is currently regulated in Alaska; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the Senate concurring, that Congress is urged to consider intrastate air travel in Hawaii as a special case and to pass legislation authorizing Hawaii to regulate intrastate air travel; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Majority Leader of the United States Senate, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and Hawaii's Congressional Delegation.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Inter-Island Air Travel