STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1230-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 2146

S.D. 1

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 S.B. No. 2146, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRAFFIC INFRACTIONS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish and appropriate funds for a Traffic Fines Task Force to examine the Finnish tiered traffic fines system, determine whether a similar system could be implemented in the State, and provide recommendations as to how a system could best be implemented.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice; Hawaiʻi Bicycling League; and two individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from one individual.

Your Committee finds that monetary penalties for speeding are intended to deter unsafe driving behavior; however, flat fines may not be equally effective for all drivers. Other jurisdictions, including Finland, utilize a proportional traffic fine system in which fines are calculated based on an offender's income and the severity of the violation, creating a more equitable and consistent deterrent. This measure establishes a Traffic Fines Task Force to study the feasibility of implementing a similar proportional traffic fines system in Hawaii and provide recommendations to the Legislature on potential approaches that could promote fairness, improve deterrence, and enhance the overall effectiveness of traffic enforcement.

Your Committee further finds that Act 59, Session Laws of Hawaii 2020 (Act 59), prohibited restrictions on a person's ability to obtain or renew a driver's license or to register, renew, transfer, or receive title to a motor vehicle due to unpaid monetary obligations incurred on or after November 1, 2020. Since its enactment, however, tens of millions of dollars in fines remain unpaid, allowing individuals with outstanding obligations to continue operating motor vehicles without consequence. Your Committee believes that repealing Act 59 and restoring certain enforcement mechanisms for unpaid traffic fines will promote accountability among cited drivers and ensure greater compliance with traffic laws.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Clarifying the appointment for certain members of the task force;

(2) Inserting language that imposes a restriction on a person's ability to obtain or renew a driver's license or to register, renew the registration of, or transfer or receive title to a motor vehicle, as a consequence of unpaid monetary obligations, under certain circumstances;

(3) Repealing provisions that would have allowed any person prevented from obtaining or renewing a driver's license or motor vehicle registration solely due to failure to pay any monetary assessment imposed under chapter 291D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to petition the court for a driver's license or motor vehicle clearance;

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

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

Your Committee requests the Judiciary to clarify the costs that would be necessary to establish the task force.

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 S.B. No. 2146, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2146, S.D. 1, 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,

____________________________

DARIUS KILA, Chair