HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1411
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO REGISTRATION OF VEHICLES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that more than eight thousand vehicles are abandoned in Hawaii every year. In 2019, four thousand seven hundred abandoned vehicles were reported on Oahu, one thousand eight hundred abandoned vehicles were reported on Maui, one thousand six hundred twenty abandoned vehicles were reported on Hawaii island, and nine hundred abandoned vehicles were reported on Kauai. These abandoned vehicles are an eyesore in communities, harmful to the environment, and a financial burden to the counties. The legislature further finds that, as a result of fraud occurring at the vehicle title transfer level, there is an ongoing issue with locating the proper owner of a vehicle that has been abandoned.

The purpose of this Act is to more accurately track motor vehicle ownership by:

(1) Requiring that the transferee's and transferor's address be provided on the certificate of ownership when the title to a motor vehicle is transferred;

(2) Clarifying that the signature of the transferee and the signature of the transferor each serve as an attestation by that respective party as to the validity of the information on the certificate of ownership; and

(3) Specifying that providing false or fraudulent information subjects a party to penalties.

SECTION 2. Section 286-52, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

"(a) Upon a transfer of the title or interest of a legal owner in or to a vehicle registered under this part, the person whose title or interest is to be transferred and the transferee shall write their signatures with pen and ink upon the certificate of ownership issued for the vehicle, together with the [address] addresses of the person whose title or interest is to be transferred and the transferee in the appropriate space provided upon the certificate. The signature of the person whose title or interest is to be transferred and the signature of the transferee shall each serve as an attestation by that respective party that the information provided on the certificate is correct. Any person who provides false or fraudulent information under this subsection shall be subject to the penalty provided in section 286-61."

SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.

Report Title:

Motor Vehicles; Vehicle Registration; Transfer of Title; Attestation; Penalty

Description:

Requires that the transferee's and transferor's address be provided on the certificate of ownership when the title to a motor vehicle is transferred. Clarifies that the signature of the transferee and the signature of the transferor each serve as an attestation by that respective party as to the validity of the information on the certificate of ownership. Specifies that providing false or fraudulent information subjects a party to penalties. Effective 7/1/2050. (HD1)

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