STAND. COM. REP. NO. 654

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1008

S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection, to which was referred S.B. No. 1008, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish the permanent Autonomous Transportation Task Force, to be placed in the Department of Transportation.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, 350 Hawaii, and U.S. Powersports Industry.

Your Committee finds that the automotive industry continues to evolve vehicle technologies toward a future when cars will be fully self-driving. Because there are many industry approaches to automation, solving the equation of how to integrate autonomous vehicles in Hawaii will require input from a broad base of stakeholders. Your Committee notes that the Legislature adopted a concurrent resolution in 2019 that requested the Attorney General to convene the Autonomous Vehicle Legal Preparation Task Force, which recently submitted its last report to the Legislature. Accordingly, this measure makes permanent an Autonomous Transportation Task Force (Task Force) to further prepare the State for the inevitable transition to a future in which all vehicles are autonomous.

Your Committee notes that the Task Force would benefit from consultation with additional stakeholders related to autonomous vehicle implementation, such as those who recently participated in the Autonomous Vehicle Legal Preparation Task Force established in 2019, as they remain available to assist with the continued efforts facilitated by this measure.

Additionally, your Committee notes that this measure, as currently drafted, does not include a member who represents environmental interests. Your Committee finds that the Task Force would benefit from a member representing an entity, such as the Ulupono Initiative that is knowledgeable in environmental issues and policy concerning electric autonomous vehicles. Therefore, amendments to this measure are necessary to address this concern.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Amending the composition of the Task Force to include a member who represents an entity that is knowledgeable in environmental issues and policy relating to electric autonomous vehicles, and a representative from the powersports industry; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1008, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1008, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection,

________________________________

ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair