STAND. COM. REP. NO.  167

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   H.B. No. 877

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts, to which was referred H.B. No. 877 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO VEHICULAR TAXES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to set the vehicle weight tax for vehicles registered to certain permanently totally disabled veterans at $50 for a vehicle that has a net weight of ten thousand pounds or less, or $100 for a vehicle that has a net weight of more than ten thousand pounds.

Testimony in opposition to the measure was submitted by a private individual.  The Tax Foundation of Hawaii submitted comments on the measure.

     Your Committee finds that through the enactment of Act 141, Session Laws of Hawaii 2008, the Legislature provided an exemption from the vehicle weight tax to members of the National Guard, military reserves, and other active duty military personnel.  Your Committee also finds that many disabled veterans are unable to pursue paid employment and have a fixed income that generally falls short of their cost of living.  Your Committee believes that providing permanently and totally disabled veterans with the same vehicle weight tax exemption provided to active duty military personnel will improve the quality of life for the veterans and their dependents.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the language establishing a set vehicle weight tax for permanently and totally disabled veterans, and replacing it with language that provides an exemption from the vehicle weight tax for one noncommercial vehicle registered to a permanently and totally disabled veteran; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 877, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 877, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Transportation.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Veterans, Military, & International Affairs, & Culture and the Arts,

____________________________

KEN ITO, Chair