STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1232-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 2010

S.D. 2

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. 2010, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Authorize the impoundment of a motor vehicle when the driver is arrested or cited, if the arresting or citing officer has a valid public safety concern;

(2) Provide that if a law enforcement officer lawfully stops a motor vehicle and the operator is cited for driving without a valid license, the officer shall not permit the cited operator to resume the use of the motor vehicle;

(3) Require the motor vehicle to be moved by a licensed driver and towed at the registered owner's expense;

(4) Provide that the cited operator is responsible for arranging the operator's transportation away from the scene of the stop; and

(5) Authorize the impoundment of a motor vehicle when the driver is convicted of, or judgment is found in favor of the State for, certain traffic violations or repeated traffic violations.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Transportation; Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the City and County of Honolulu; and two individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Office of the Public Defender. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of the Attorney General; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Hawaiʻi County Police Department; and one individual.

Your Committee finds that unsafe driving behaviors, including driving without a valid license, driving under the influence, and repeated traffic violations, pose significant risks to public safety and contribute to preventable injuries and fatalities on Hawaii's roadways. Your Committee further finds that existing enforcement mechanisms may be insufficient to deter high-risk drivers from continuing to operate motor vehicles in a dangerous manner. By enhancing compliance with traffic laws and reducing opportunities for unsafe driving, this measure will contribute to safer roadways by reinforcing responsible vehicle operation, discouraging unlawful driving practices, and ensuring that individuals who engage in high-risk behavior face meaningful consequences.

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 penalties for a person who has had multiple convictions for driving without a valid motor vehicle insurance policy within a five-year period from any prior offense;

(2) Clarifying the conditions when a registered owner of a motor vehicle may remove the motor vehicle from the scene of a stop;

(3) Clarifying the applicable period for prior convictions of excessive speeding and other jailable traffic offenses that may result in the towing and impoundment of a motor vehicle;

(4) 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;

(5) 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;

(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.

Your Committee requests that, should your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs hear this measure, the Department of the Attorney General and Office of the Public Defender collaborate to address the concerns raised in their respective testimony.

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. 2010, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2010, S.D. 2, 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