STAND. COM. REP. NO. 549-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 2179

H.D. 2

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. 2179, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require, rather than authorize, the Department of Education to develop and administer a Traffic Safety Education Program; and

(2) Require the Traffic Safety Education Program to include electric bicycles.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaiʻi Bicycling League; Hawaii Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians; Kauai Path, Inc.; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from one individual. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Education and Department of Health.

Your Committee finds that electric bicycles have become an increasingly popular mode of transportation across the State, yet their rapid growth in use has coincided with heightened concerns about roadway safety. As more students and families rely on electric bicycles for transportation, ensuring that young riders understand the rules of the road and safe riding practices is critical to reducing accidents and preventing injuries. This measure strengthens traffic safety efforts by requiring the Department of Education to establish and administer a Traffic Safety Education Program in all public schools and to include instruction on electric bicycle safety, promoting responsible ridership and safer roadways statewide.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

Your Committee notes the concerns raised by the Hawaiʻi Bicycling League regarding the absence of curricula, staff, and resources within the Department of Education to provide traffic safety education and their suggestion to allow the Department to consult with an expert bicycle education provider.

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. 2179, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2179, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

DARIUS KILA, Chair