STAND. COM. REP. NO. 616

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 550

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 550 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FIREWORKS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Allow video recordings made by law enforcement agencies who are using, controlling, or operating unmanned aerial vehicles to establish probable cause for arrests under the Fireworks Control Law if the unmanned aerial vehicle is recording directly above a public park, street, sidewalk, easement, or any public property and the act leading to the arrest is committed on a public street, sidewalk, or other public property; and

(2) Appropriate funds to the Department of Law Enforcement for the purchase of unmanned aerial vehicles to monitor the use of illegal fireworks.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Honolulu Police Department; Hawaiian Humane Society; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of the Public Defender; Libertarian Party of Hawaii; and four individuals.

Your Committee finds that this measure will allow law enforcement to use drone footage as evidence of fireworks violations on public property. This will allow for better enforcement of fireworks violations and deter the use of illegal fireworks in the State.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying when probable cause may be established by recordings made by unmanned aerial vehicles for acts committed on public property;

(2) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 550, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 550, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair