STAND. COM. REP. NO. 208-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1641

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 1641 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Prohibit the sale, offer for sale, lease, rental, distribution, possession, or operation of a high-speed electric bicycle; and

(2) Establish penalties.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Bicycling League and one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General.

Your Committee finds that the increasing availability and use of high-speed electric devices on public roadways raise significant safety concerns for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. High-speed electric devices capable of exceeding twenty miles per hour with motor assistance can operate at speeds inconsistent with the design and intended use of bicycle lanes and shared-use paths, increasing the risk of collisions and serious injury. Clear standards are necessary to distinguish permissible high-speed electric devices from higher-speed devices that function more like motor vehicles and require different regulatory treatment. By establishing certain standards related to high-speed electric devices, this measure promotes roadway safety and preserves the safe use of bicycle infrastructure.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Prohibiting any person from offering for lease or rent any high-speed electric device;

(2) Clarifying that no person shall sell or offer for sale a high-speed electric device, unless the person complies with applicable regulatory requirements;

(3) Clarifying that the operation of a high-speed electric device on any bicycle lane, highway, roadway, or street is prohibited;

(4) Inserting minimum and maximum amounts for fines;

(5) Deleting the definition for "high-speed electric bicycle" and inserting a definition for "high-speed electric device";

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

(7) 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. 1641, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1641, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

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

____________________________

DARIUS KILA, Chair