STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3808

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.C.R. No. 113

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Transportation and Energy, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 113 entitled:

 

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO STUDY WAYS TO ENCOURAGE ALL POLICE AND FIRE STATIONS IN THE STATE TO HAVE A CERTIFIED CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY TECHNICIAN AVAILABLE TO INSPECT CHILD PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEMS,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Department of Transportation to study ways to encourage police and fire stations to have a certified child passenger safety technician available to inspect child passenger restraint systems.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation and Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii.

 

     Your Committee finds that Hawaii's child passenger restraint law requires certain children to be properly restrained in a child passenger restraint system that meets federal motor vehicle safety standards.  The child passenger restraint law also establishes punishment for failing to comply with the law.  However, your Committee finds that parents who wish to have a child's safety seat or booster seat inspected to ensure that the seat meets safety standards have limited means to do so.  There are only a few car seat inspection stations in the State, particularly on neighbor islands.

 

     Your Committee believes that residents should have convenient access to safety seat or booster seat inspections, and notes that other states offer inspection services at neighborhood police and fire stations.  While having inspection services provided at all police and fire stations in the State would be ideal, your Committee understands that such an approach could be infeasible.  A feasibility study would allow the Legislature to determine the best way to encourage police and fire stations in the State to have a certified child passenger safety technician available to inspect child safety and booster seats.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Energy that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 113, and recommends its adoption.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair