STAND. COM. REP. NO. 361

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1078

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.B. No. 1078 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LOW-SPEED ELECTRIC BICYCLES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to amend the definition of "bicycle" for the purposes of county vehicular taxes, highway safety laws, and the statewide traffic code by adding and defining low-speed electric bicycles.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation and Hawaii Bicycling League.

Your Committee finds that electric bicycles are becoming an increasingly important and popular form of transportation, and a more significant component of the bicycle industry. This measure is intended to statutorily recognize that low-speed electric bicycles are a type of bicycle and subject to the same laws as other bicycles. Your Committee notes that the federal definition of a low-speed electric bicycle is a bicycle whose "maximum speed on a paved level surface, when powered solely by such a motor while ridden by an operator who weighs 170 pounds, is less than 20 mph." Based on testimony provided by the Department of Transportation, because low-speed electric vehicles can go 20 miles per hour without much human effort, for safety purposes, an age limit should be established for operating such vehicles.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by requiring the operator of a low-speed electric bicycle to be at least 15 years of age.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1078, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1078, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair