STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3344
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: H.B. No. 1539
H.D. 1
S.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2024
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred H.B. No. 1539, H.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to:
(1) Increase fines for violations of certain traffic laws and required motor vehicle insurance minimums;
(2) Establish minimum and maximum sentences for persons convicted of violations of certain traffic laws; and
(3) Amend the minimum liability coverage thresholds to unspecified amounts.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii Association for Justice, and eight individuals.
Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of the Public Defender, American Property Casualty Insurance Association of America, Hertz Corporation, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, and three individuals.
Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs' Insurance Division; Hawaii Insurers Council; and Turo, Inc.
Your
Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Establishing
penalties for the placement of any device upon a vehicle designed to immobilize
the vehicle without consent of the owner of the vehicle;
(2) Inserting language that establishes a separate
prohibition on driving motor vehicles having noisy mufflers on public highways
in high-density areas;
(3) Inserting
language that defines "high-density areas";
(4) Inserting unspecified penalty amounts,
imprisonment sentences, community service times, and insurance amounts;
(5) Inserting
language that establishes tiered fines for violations of motor scooter muffler
regulations;
(6) Inserting language that establishes tiered fines for violations of motor vehicle muffler regulations;
(7) Amending
section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and
(8) Making
technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and
consistency.
Your Committee
notes that the House Draft 1 of this measure contains unspecified insurance
liability coverage minimums. Should your
Committees on Judiciary and Consumer Protection choose to deliberate on this
measure, your Committee respectfully requests that they consider minimum bodily injury liability insurance levels of $25,000
per person and $50,000 per accident.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1539, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1539, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Judiciary and Commerce and Consumer Protection.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts,
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________________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair |
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