STAND. COM. REP. NO.  241

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1493

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 1493 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAY SAFETY,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to increase highway safety by:

 

     (1)  Requiring motor vehicles towing a trailer, semitrailer, or pole trailer, or any combination thereof, to use a towing safety apparatus;

 

     (2)  Defining "towing safety apparatus" to mean a trailer receiver hitch connected to a ball mount or draw bar which is secured with a locking pin and chains or cables to keep the trailer, semitrailer, pole trailer, or any combination thereof safely connected to the motor vehicle if it becomes unhitched from the ball mount or draw bar while being towed; and

 

     (3)  Establishing minimum and maximum fines for each separate violation.

 

 

     The Department of Transportation testified in support of this bill.  The Hawaii Transportation Association provided comments.

 

     Currently, vehicles with a gross vehicular weight rating of less than 10,000 pounds do not have regulations governing towing a trailer.  This measure ensures that an operator of a motor vehicle towing a trailer uses the proper safety apparatus when doing so thereby providing safer driving conditions for all roadway users.

 

     However, your Committee was informed that commercial motor vehicles are already governed by strict towing regulations under federal law that are more stringent than the regulations contained in this measure.  Accordingly, your Committee has amended this bill by providing an exemption for these motor carriers.

 

     Technical, nonsubstantive amendments have also been made for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     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 H.B. No. 1493, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1493, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

JOSEPH M. SOUKI, Chair