STAND. COM. REP. NO. 27

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 346

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2023

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 346 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to make it discretionary for authorized emergency vehicles to use sirens when responding to an emergency or in other specified situations if the siren is not reasonably necessary under the circumstances.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Liliuokalani Gardens Association of Apartment Owners and three individuals.

Your Committee finds that the use of sirens by emergency vehicles can be necessary to alert other vehicles and pedestrians that an emergency vehicle is exercising its authority to disregard certain traffic laws, such as proceeding through a red light or exceeding the posted speed limit. However, there are certain emergency response sectors that have determined that there should be some flexibility to not engage the siren in certain situations such as responding at night when the streets are empty of cars and pedestrians. As unnecessary usage of sirens may contribute to noise pollution, especially in heavily-congested residential areas, providing flexibility in the use of sirens by emergency response vehicles in certain circumstances may alleviate disturbances in residential neighborhoods.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 346, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 346, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts,

________________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair