STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1200

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   S.B. No. 711

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred S.B. No. 711, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to provide for greater efficiency in the movement of people through a public transit system by allowing larger articulated buses to operate on public roadways.

     The Hawaii Hotel & Lodging Association, Hawaii Transportation Association, and Soderholm Sales & Leasing, Inc., testified in support of this bill.

     The use of mass transit has been growing in Hawaii over the past few years.  While Honolulu has long had one of the best-rated public transportation systems in the nation, the Neighbor Islands have only recently begun developing and using mass transit systems.  Allowing for the use of larger articulated buses on public roadways will create greater capacity for the movement of people through these systems and relieve traffic congestion throughout Hawaii.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by changing its effective date to July 1, 2009.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 711, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 711, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

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

____________________________

JOSEPH M. SOUKI, Chair