STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 548-26
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2026
RE: H.B. No. 2027
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. 2027 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to:
(1) Prohibit vehicles from driving on the shoulder of a roadway, except in certain circumstances;
(2) Authorize the Department of
Transportation and county police departments to impound vehicles with expired
registrations of three years or more and seize and dispose of vehicles with
expired registrations of five years or more, under certain conditions;
(3) Require the Department of
Transportation to submit an annual report to the Legislature detailing
enforcement activity by county;
(4) Increase the fine amount for owners of
out-of-state motor vehicles who fail to register the vehicle in the State; and
(5) Establish minimum and maximum statutory
penalties for violations relating to the use of high occupancy vehicle lanes.
Your Committee finds that unsafe driving
practices and long-expired vehicle registrations undermine public safety,
contribute to traffic congestion, and strain enforcement resources across the
State. Additionally, inconsistent and
outdated penalty structures for registration violations and high occupancy
vehicle lane infractions weaken deterrence and reduce compliance with state
law. This measure strengthens
enforcement tools for the Department of Transportation, law enforcement
agencies, and other approved persons by prohibiting shoulder lane misuse,
authorizing the impoundment and disposal of severely delinquent vehicles under
specified conditions, increasing penalties for certain registration and traffic
violations, and requiring annual reporting to the Legislature to ensure transparency
and oversight.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Specifying fines and penalty conditions for persons who operate a vehicle on the shoulder of a roadway;
(2) Clarifying that the Department of Transportation, any law enforcement officer, or any approved person contractor, or government agency designated to carry out towing enforcement may, after verifying the registration status of a vehicle, impound a vehicle that is parked on a public roadway or in a commercial parking lot that is open to the public, under certain conditions;
(3) Establishes procedures for an owner of a vehicle that was impounded to redeem their vehicle;
(4) Specifying minimum and maximum fines for failure to register an out-of-state motor vehicle;
(5) Changing the maximum fine for violations relating to the use of high occupancy vehicle lanes to an unspecified amount; and
(6) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
Your Committee further requests the Department of Transportation to consider the addition of roadway signage to improve driver navigation and roadway clarity.
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. 2027, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2027, 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 |
|
|
|
|