STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2540

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 355

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation and Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 355 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO REGISTRATION FEES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to reduce the annual vehicle registration fee by fifty per cent for disabled veterans who have fifty per cent or more but less than one hundred percent service-connected disability rating.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Office of Veterans Services, Rainbow Family 808, and six individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Transportation and Tax Foundation of Hawaii.

Your Committees find that existing law exempts certain qualified veterans from paying annual vehicle registration fees so long as that veteran is determined to be one hundred percent disabled. However, there is no reduced annual vehicle registration fee for any veteran who is determined to be less than one hundred percent disabled. Your Committees find that it is appropriate for the State to reduce the burden of the registration fee by fifty percent for certain qualifying veterans who have been determined to be at least fifty percent disabled.

Your Committees note that the Hawaii Office of Veterans Services is currently reaching out to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs to determine the number of veterans in the State with a service-related disability rating of fifty percent or more but less than one hundred percent so that the Department of Transportation can determine the potential reduction in revenues that will result from this measure.

Your Committees have amended this measure by inserting an effective date of January 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 355, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 355, 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 Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs,

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair

________________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair