STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1255-08

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

 

RE:   S.B. No. 3240

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Transportation and Public Safety & Military Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 3240, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVER'S LICENSE,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to:

 

(1)  Extend the term of a license from six to eight years for persons who are 25 to 71 years of age;

 

(2)  Reduce the term of a license from six to four years for persons who are 19 to 24 years of age;

 

(3)  Authorize the examiner of drivers to issue a license for an unspecified, shorter period of time if the examiner determines a person's ability to drive is impaired due to a physical condition;

 

(4)  Allow the license of a member of the U.S. armed forces that has expired while that person was on active federal service outside of the country to remain valid for 90 days after the person returns to the U.S.; and

 


(5)  Repeal provisions that would allow a person whose driving ability was determined impaired to:

 

(A)  Obtain certification from a physician confirming that the person's ability to drive is not impaired by the person's physical condition;

 

(B)  Correct the physical impairment; or

 

(C)  Drive safely by using a vehicle adapted to overcome the physical impairment.

 

     The Department of Transportation, State Department of Defense, and a concerned individual testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Customer Services (DCS) of the City and County of Honolulu supported the intent of this measure.  A concerned individual testified in opposition to this bill.

 

     Your Committees note that DCS requested additional time to allow for proper programming of their computers to allow for the changes in the length of time for license renewals and to accommodate the exemptions for service members.  Accordingly, Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing the effective date for the provision to allow the license of a member of the U.S. armed forces that has expired while that person was on active federal service outside of the country to remain valid for 90 days after the person returns to the U.S. to upon its approval and the effective date for the other provisions to November 3, 2008, to address the concerns raised by DCS; and

 

     (2)  Making technical amendments to ensure that the amendments to section 286-106 are preserved when that section is reenacted pursuant to Act 72, Session Laws of Hawaii 2005, which would have automatically repealed these amendments on January 9, 2011.

 

     Other technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and Public Safety & Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3240, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3240, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation and Public Safety & Military Affairs,

 

 

____________________________

CINDY EVANS, Chair

 

____________________________

JOSEPH M. SOUKI, Chair