STAND. COM. REP. NO.3083

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.B. No. 1768

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1768, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow custom-made motorcycles to be registered with the Department of Motor Vehicles by:

(1) Clarifying the definition of "vehicle identification number;" and

(2) Allowing the county director of finance to identify and register a reconstructed vehicle by assigning it an identification number other than the federal vehicle identification number.

Your Committees received testimony in support of the measure from the Department of Transportation and eight motorcycle enthusiasts. The Honolulu County Police Department submitted testimony in opposition to the measure. The Honolulu City and County Department of Customer Services and State Farm Insurance submitted comments.

Your Committees find that the problem of registering aftermarket or custom frame motorcycles persists, primarily due to the fact that such custom machines lack a federal vehicle identification number (federal VIN). Your Committees find that in such cases, it makes sense to allow the county director of finance to assign a vehicle identification number (VIN) to facilitate registration of the cycle.

Your Committees have amended the measure to exempt motorcycles from the state reconstruction code (which applies only in the City and County Honolulu) so that the registration and inspection requirements are uniform for motorcycles in every county.

In addition, your Committees amended the measure to clarify the authority of county finance directors to assign VIN's. As amended, a county finance director may only assign a VIN to a reconstructed vehicle, special interest vehicle, or motorcycle.

In the specific case of assigning VINs to motorcycles with after market frames, a county director of finance may register a motorcycle with an after market frame, using the vehicle identification number of the frame as issued by the incomplete vehicle manufacturer of the frame. A bill of sale and Manufacturers Statement of Origin for the frame, engine, and transmission must be presented and retained as a part of the permanent county registration records. Should a Manufacturers Statement of Origin not be available for the engine and transmission due to the use of a used or reconstructed engine, transmission, or both, then a bill of sale or other proof of ownership, satisfactory to the director of finance must be presented.

Your Committees find that limiting the "vehicle identification number" to the federal VIN prevents many custom motorcycles from being registered. Allowing the county directors of finance to issue VIN's would solve this unfair situation.

Finally, technical, nonsubstantive amendments were made.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1768, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1768, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs and Government Operations and Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs,

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DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair

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CAL KAWAMOTO, Chair