STAND. COM. REP. NO. 22-22

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2022

RE: H.B. No. 1412

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 1412 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the counties to provide a minimum distance a vehicle must be moved within a specified timeframe after a vehicle is initially inspected for abandonment to avoid an official classification of abandonment.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Council of Mayors; Mayor of the County of Hawai‘i; one member of the Maui County Council; one member of the Kaua‘i County Council; one member of the Hawai‘i County Council; County of Maui Department of Environmental Management; City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services, Motor Vehicles, Licensing and Permitting Division; LavaRock Farm; and eleven individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that abandoned vehicles continue to overrun neighborhoods across the State and the prevalence of abandoned vehicles on public streets has created widespread environmental and safety issues. Existing law is silent regarding the distance a vehicle must be moved in order to no longer be classified as abandoned. This creates ambiguity in the disposition of an abandoned vehicle if a vehicle that was once deemed abandoned can no longer be classified as abandoned if it merely moves an inch or two from the location where it was first deemed abandoned. Therefore, taking steps to provide objectivity and clarity in the law as to how much a vehicle must be moved and when it must be moved in order to no longer be classified as abandoned would improve enforcement of this issue.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

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 H.B. No. 1412, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1412, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

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

____________________________

HENRY J.C. AQUINO, Chair