STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2689

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2745

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.B. No. 2745 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AIRCRAFT,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Director of Transportation to adopt rules that require tour aircraft operators to have aircraft liability insurance coverage of not less than $1,000,000 per person per incident.

 

     Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Transportation, Blue Hawaiian, and Paradise Helicopters Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee finds that tour aircraft crashes, particularly involving helicopters, have escalated in recent years, which poses significant risks to public health and safety.  In recent years there has been increased and widespread operation of sight seeing aircraft in the State and notably over residential areas.  Passengers and local residents living in densely populated areas have an interest in ensuring that costs and expenses due to tour aircraft crashes are covered by insurance.

 


     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Inserting a blank amount for the required per person per incident liability insurance coverage;

 

     (2)  Inserting an effective date of January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

 

     (3)  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 Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2745, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2745, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair