STAND. COM. REP. NO.578

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 42

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations and Economic Development, to which was referred S.B. No. 42 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WATERCRAFT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require watercraft operating more than one mile from shore to carry a properly functioning VHF-FM radio or an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB).

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the Maritime Committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, and the Hawaii Boaters Political Action Association.

Your Committees find that many of the boating fatalities that have occurred over the past several years could have been avoided if an EPIRB or VHF radio had been carried on board the vessel. Many boating fatalities occur simply because rescue personnel are unable to locate stranded boaters in time.

In addition, when a search and rescue operation continues for a long period of time, the State incurs enormous expense. In the past year, two separate search and rescue operations cost the State approximately $1 million each. In comparison, an EPIRB retails for about $600, and a VHF radio for $100. Your Committees find that the cost of these instruments is exceedingly low given their ability to save lives and to save the State millions of dollars.

Your Committees amended this measure to replace the term "jet ski" in the exception provisions with the term "thrill craft," which is the proper term to refer to all makes and models of such craft.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations and Economic Development that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 42, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 42, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation, Military Affairs, and Government Operations and Economic Development,

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CAROL FUKUNAGA, Chair

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CAL KAWAMOTO, Chair