STAND. COM. REP. NO. 415

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 657

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism, to which was referred S.B. No. 657 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to extend the repeal date of Act 168, Regular Session of 2012, from June 30, 2020, to June 30, 2030.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; Ulupono Initiative; ChargePoint, Inc.; Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers; Hawaiian Electric Company Inc.; Blue Planet Foundation; Hawaii Automobile Dealers' Association; O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; and seventeen individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from Tesla.

Your Committees find that providing drivers of electric vehicles with the benefit of free parking at certain public spaces is an incentive to use electric vehicles, thereby reducing consumption of imported fossil fuel. Your Committees further find that electric vehicles are becoming more popular amongst drivers in Hawaii due to financial incentives and the positive impact on the environment. Your Committees also find that while providing incentives to electric vehicles, there needs to be a balance between providing incentives and maintaining equity with those taxpayers who do not drive electric vehicles. As such, your Committees note that Act 168, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, should be further amended to apply nominal parking fees to electric vehicles in public parking facilities after a certain time period.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by requiring electric vehicles to pay for parking when parked at a non-metered stall for more than the initial four hours in a public parking facility.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 657, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 657, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism,

________________________________ GLENN WAKAI, Chair

________________________________ LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair