STAND. COM. REP. NO. 311-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1562

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 1562 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DRIVING WITHOUT A LICENSE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Add forfeiture of a vehicle as a maximum penalty on a third conviction for operating a motor vehicle without a license within a five-year period; and

(2) Provide that if the defendant is not the registered owner of the vehicle used to commit the third offense, the owner of that vehicle shall be responsible for certain costs and fines.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation and one individual. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Honolulu Police Department; and one individual.

Your Committee finds that under existing laws, drivers whose licenses have been suspended or revoked continue to operate their vehicles on public roads, even after being ticketed by police. This measure seeks to prevent habitual offenders from contributing to an ongoing risk to community safety by impounding the offender's vehicle if the offender is convicted of a third offense of driving without a license.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Designating this measure as "Sara's Law" in honor of Sara Yara, who was killed by a habitual unlicensed driver;

(2) Deleting language that, in cases where the defendant was not the registered owner of a vehicle used to commit a third offense, would make the registered owner responsible for certain costs and fines;

(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(4) 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 Transportation that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1562, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1562, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Transportation,

____________________________

CHRIS TODD, Chair