STAND. COM. REP. NO. 35

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: H.B. No. 238

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 238 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to extend to June 30, 2030, the sunset date of Act 168, Session Laws of Hawaii 2012, which authorizes the Department of Transportation to adopt rules for the registration of and issuance of license plates for electric vehicles and exempts electric vehicles from parking fees and high occupancy vehicle lane restrictions.

The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, Tesla, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Maui Electric Company, Ltd., Hawai‘i Electric Light Company, Inc., Hawaii Automobile Dealers' Association, 350Hawaii.org, Blue Planet Foundation, Organizing for Action, Big Island Electric Vehicle Association, O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Ulupono Initiative, and many individuals supported this measure. An individual opposed this measure. The Department of Accounting and General Services and Department of Transportation provided comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Providing that the exemption from parking fees applies only for parking within any metered stall of a single parking lot for up to a total of two hours per day;

(2) Limiting the duration of the parking fee exemption for non-metered parking stalls to a total of four hours within a single parking lot per day;

(3) Including fuel cell electric vehicles in the definition of electric vehicles for purposes of parking exemptions, High Occupancy Vehicle lane use, registration requirements, and provisions of required parking spaces in places of public accommodation;

(4) Applying the same public procurement priority to fuel cell electric vehicles purchased by state and county agencies as to other types of electric vehicles; and

(5) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2100, to encourage further discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 238, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 238, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Transportation.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

NICOLE E. LOWEN, Chair