STAND. COM. REP. NO.  599-12

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2012

 

RE:   H.B. No. 2608

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on International Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 2608 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DRIVER LICENSING,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to facilitate international reciprocity by:

 

     (1)  Requiring the Director of the State Department of Transportation to establish and appoint the members of a statewide driver's license reciprocity committee to evaluate the written knowledge and practical examination program of a foreign country whenever a foreign country makes a request for driver's license reciprocity;

 

     (2)  Establishing a process to ensure the standards of the foreign countries' driver's license testing is equivalent to Hawaii's driver's license testing; and

 

     (3)  Providing for the notification to the Legislature of the findings and recommendations of the statewide driver's license reciprocity committee.

 

     The Department of Transportation supported this measure.

 


     Your Committees note the existing agreement made in 1949 at the United Nations Conference on Road and Motor Transport in Geneva.  President Truman signed this agreement on behalf of the United States along with ninety-five other countries, including Korea, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

 

     It is your Committee's hope that the Committee on Finance will take a closer look at the financial implications of this measure to ensure that duplication is avoided and that the existing processes, including those that may have been adopted at the 1949 United Nations conference, can be used to streamline driver's license reciprocity.  Your Committee notes that other states have adopted the United Nations agreement, which includes international reciprocity.

 

     Your Committee finds that the overall concept of this administration bill is laudable and therefore worthy of passage.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

 

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on International Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2608, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2608, H.D. 1.

 

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on International Affairs,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

KAREN L. AWANA, Chair