STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1861

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 754

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred H.B. No. 754, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRIC FOOT SCOOTERS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Establish a framework for the Department of Transportation and the counties to regulate electric foot scooters;

 

     (2)  Add a definition of "electric foot scooter" and include electronic foot scooters as bicycles for certain laws;

 

     (3)  Amend definitions of "moped", "motor vehicle", "rental motor vehicle", and "vehicle" to exclude electric foot scooters; and

 

     (4)  Prohibit use of electric foot scooters to individuals under the age of fifteen.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; County of Kauai; Department of Transportation Services of the City and County of Honolulu; Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency of the City and County of Honolulu; and Young Democrats of Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee finds that shared micromobility vehicles, including bicycles, e-bikes, and electric foot scooters, are more frequently becoming part of multimodal transportation systems.  Your Committee further finds that although electric foot scooters are becoming increasingly common, they are not adequately regulated under existing law.  Your Committee additionally finds that electric foot scooters are vehicles but are not bicycles, and that applying bicycle regulations to electric foot scooters is not optimal.

 

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Establishing a regulatory framework specifically for electric foot scooters as vehicles instead of regulating electric foot scooters in a manner similar to bicycles; and

 

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

 

     Your Committee also notes that the definition of "electric foot scooters" provided in this measure is extremely broad and could potentially be interpreted to include certain types of children's toys, and that narrowing this definition may merit further discussion as this measure proceeds in the legislative process.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 754, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 754, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

 


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

 

 

 

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair