STAND. COM. REP. NO. 947

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 977

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 977, H.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to conform the Hawaii Revised Statutes relating to commercial driver licensing with the most recent federal regulations.  Specifically, this measure requires a commercial learner's permit as a pre-condition for issuing a commercial driver license and also adopts various other changes to enhance the commercial driver license program.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation.

 

Your Committees find that the commercial learner's permit is intended to enhance the qualification of commercial motor vehicle drivers by ensuring that they obtain a commercial learner's permit before applying for a commercial driver license, therefore helping to ensure that only qualified drivers are allowed to operate commercial motor vehicles on our state highways.

 

     According to testimony of the Department of Transportation, a state must come in substantial compliance with the federal requirements as contained in this measure as soon as practicable but not later than July 8, 2014.  Failure to enact the changes could result in the loss to Hawaii of approximately $5,500,000 (or five percent of $109,016,036 federal-aid highway funds for the first year of non-compliance and $10,900,000, or 10 percent, per year thereafter, based on fiscal year 2010-2011 funding.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Correcting a statutory cross reference in section 1 on the recommendation of the Department of Transportation;

 

(2)  Correcting language in section 1 to place the new material in part XIII, instead of part VIII, of chapter 286, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation and International Affairs and Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 977, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 977, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

____________________________

WILL ESPERO, Chair

 

____________________________

J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair