STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2456

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2097

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to which was referred S.B. No. 2097 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR CARRIERS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to repeal the regulation of motor carriers by the Public Utilities Commission.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Pacific Transfer, LLC.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Transportation Association; Aloha Trucking, Inc; B & C Trucking Co., Ltd; EC Trucking LLC; E Noa Corporation; Guava Express Inc.; Moniz Trucking LLC; Pohaku Equipment Services LLC; and Polynesian Adventure Tours, LLC.

Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Public Utilities Commission; and Hoʻomana Pono, LLC.

Your Committee finds that existing state law requires regulation of the motor carrier industry to be conducted by the Public Utilities Commission. Your Committee further finds that there may be problems with the enforcement of motor carriers. This measure will address that problem by transferring authorization to regulate motor carriers to the counties. However, your Committee finds that transfer of this regulation may be premature at this time and believe that greater insight is necessary before enacting such a measure. Therefore, your Committee finds it necessary to convene a task force to further study this issue.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Deleting its contents and inserting language that establishes a task force to study motor carrier industry regulation in the State; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments 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. 2097, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2097, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection.

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

________________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair