STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2691

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2201

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. 2201 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NUMBER PLATES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require license plates to include okinas and authorize the use of all uppercase letters, all lowercase letters, or initial capital letters in motor vehicle license plates.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of the Mayor of the County of Hawaii, Department of Customer Services of the City and County of Honolulu, and Ulupono Initiative.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Honolulu Police Department.

Your Committee finds that existing law does not permit the inclusion of the ʻokina on license plates. Your Committee recognizes the importance of diacritical marks to both native and second language speakers of Hawaiian language. This measure therefore will support the broader implementation of Hawaiian diacritical marks across more aspects of the state government, including license plates.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Limiting special number plates for environmental conservation to electric vehicles only, with all the benefits and restrictions of electric vehicle plates; 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. 2201, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2201, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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CHRIS LEE, Chair