STAND. COM. REP. NO. 235

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 1410

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 1410 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRUCK BEDS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to prohibit operation of a pickup truck with any passengers seated in the bed or load-carrying area unless in an emergency or an officially authorized parade, caravan, or exhibition.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation.

Your Committee finds that riding in the bed or load-carrying area of a pickup truck is unsafe and dangerous. Presently, Hawaii law allows for several exemptions for a person to ride in the bed or load-carrying area of the pickup truck. However, in the event of sudden stops or a serious collision, riders in the bed or load-carrying area may be susceptible to serious injuries or death. Prohibiting riders in the bed or load-carrying area of pickup trucks may reduce unnecessary traffic-related injuries or deaths and protect all roadway users in the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; 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 Transportation and Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1410, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1410, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts,

________________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair