STAND. COM. REP. 969

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 51

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.B. No. 51 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMMERCIAL DRIVER'S LICENSES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to authorize the Director of Transportation to grant an intrastate waiver for insulin users to obtain a commercial drivers' license (CDL).

The Department of Transportation and Hawaii Transportation Association testified in support of this measure. A concerned citizen offered comments on this measure.

Under current law, insulin users are prohibited from obtaining a CDL. This presents a problem for diabetic individuals looking to obtain a job that requires a CDL. Drivers who have already obtained a CDL and currently are employed in a job requiring the use of their CDL are faced with a greater dilemma if they are diagnosed with insulin dependent diabetes. These drivers often face a difficult choice:

(1) Either take their insulin and give up their job; or

(2) Not take insulin and retain their job, but leave their diabetes untreated.

Your Committee finds that employees having to choose between their health and livelihood is unacceptable. Your Committee further notes that medical advances regarding the treatment of diabetes have made these blanket prohibitions unnecessary.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 51 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation,

 

____________________________

JOSEPH M. SOUKI, Chair