STAND. COM. REP. NO. 474-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1934

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1934, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish an Intoxicated Driving Reduction Working Group to study, investigate, and recommend transformative changes to the State's existing laws relating to the operation of a vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; Mothers Against Drunk Driving Hawaii; and AAA Hawaii. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Law Enforcement; Maui Brewing Co.; and one individual.

Your Committee finds that the Department of Transportation is currently updating Hawaii's Strategic Highway Safety Plan, which includes an impaired driving emphasis area. Your Committee believes that convening the Intoxicated Driving Reduction Working Group under the leadership of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan would better achieve the purposes of this measure.

Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Requiring the Director of Transportation to convene the Intoxicated Driving Reduction Working Group, under the leadership of Hawaii's Strategic Highway Safety Plan, to discuss, study, examine, and recommend transformative changes to the State's existing laws relating to the operation of a vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant to reduce incidents of intoxicated driving;

(2) Requiring the Intoxicated Driving Reduction Working Group to include a representative of law enforcement;

(3) Deleting the requirement that the Intoxicated Driving Reduction Working Group submit a report to the Legislature and instead requiring the Department of Transportation to submit to the Legislature:

(A) The updated Strategic Highway Safety Plan with an outline of policy recommendations to combat intoxicated driving no later than December 31, 2024; and

(B) The Strategic Highway Safety Plan action plan with an outline of policy recommendations to combat intoxicated driving no later than December 31, 2025;

(4) Extending the duration of the Intoxicated Driving Reduction Working Group by one year due to the release of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan action plan; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1934, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1934, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair