STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2435

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2127

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Transportation, to which was referred S.B. No. 2127 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NOISE POLLUTION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Direct the Department of Health to adopt rules for the control, prevention, and abatement of noise pollution emitted by vehicles in the State; and

(2) Prohibit the use, ownership, and sale of excessively loud vehicles.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Waikiki Neighborhood Board No. 9, Free Access Coalition, Quieter O‘ahu, Quieter & Healthier Maui, and twenty-two individuals. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from two individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Health.

Your Committees find that noise pollution is a growing problem in the State. Motor vehicles that have after-market modifications are significant contributors to noise pollution. Despite attempts to regulate noise pollution, residents still grapple with excessive noises, particularly in residential neighborhoods. Therefore, this measure directs the Department of Health to adopt rules to control noise pollution from vehicles and prohibits the use, ownership, and sale of excessively loud vehicles.

Your Committees acknowledge the testimony of the Department of Health, which noted that many regulations prohibiting noise pollution already exist and that previous programs aimed at controlling vehicular noise achieved limited success and were discontinued. Your Committees have also heard from constituents that noise complaints often go unenforced.

Therefore, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting the contents of the measure and establishing a noise pollution task force within the Department of Health to investigate noise pollution and provide recommendations on how to better regulate excessive noise pollution throughout the State, from both stationary and non-stationary sources;

(2) Appropriating funds to support the noise pollution task force;

(3) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Transportation that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2127, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2127, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Transportation,

________________________________ CHRIS LEE, Chair

________________________________ JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair