HB 1471: RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  The purpose of this Act is to impose an additional fee for a certificate of registration, to be deposited into the safe routes to school program special fund.

     SECTION 2.  Section 286-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§286-51  Registration, expense.  (a)  The certificate of registration for each motor vehicle in the counties of the State shall be renewed on a staggered basis as established by each county.  The director of finance of each county may adopt rules to carry out the purposes stated in this section and shall expend the funds from the director's operating funds as may be necessary for these purposes; provided that if the director has ascertained as of the date of the application that:

     (1)  The registered owner has not deposited or paid bail with respect to any summons or citation issued to the registered owner for stopping, standing, or parking in violation of traffic ordinances within the county;

     (2)  The registered owner of a motor carrier vehicle, as defined in section 286-201, has not resolved any outstanding federal operations out-of-service orders issued by the United States Secretary of Transportation; or

     (3)  The registered owner has outstanding charges and fines owed to the county relating to the disposition of an abandoned vehicle, including for costs related to towing, storage, processing, and disposal,

the director may require, as a condition precedent to the renewal, that the registered owner deposit or pay bail with respect to all such summonses or citations, resolve all federal operations out-of-service orders, or pay all outstanding charges and fines relating to the disposition of the abandoned vehicle.  The payment of all outstanding charges or fines relating to the disposition of the abandoned vehicle shall not be a condition precedent to the transfer if the abandoned vehicle was stolen or taken from the registered owner without permission or authorization and a police report for the abandoned vehicle is filed within a period of time, to be determined by the director of finance of each county, after discovery of the abandoned vehicle.  The certificates of registration issued hereunder shall show, in addition to all information required under section 286-47, the serial number of the tag or emblem and shall be valid during the registration year only for which they are issued.  Any certificate of registration belonging to a motor carrier shall be suspended or revoked when that motor carrier has been issued any federal operations out-of-service orders by the United States Secretary of Transportation and that certificate of registration shall remain suspended or revoked until all the federal operations out-of-service orders are resolved.  The certificates of ownership need not be renewed annually but shall remain valid as to any interest shown therein until canceled by the director of finance as provided by law or replaced by new certificates of ownership as hereinafter provided.

     (b)  This part shall be administered by the director of finance in conjunction with the requirements of sections 249-1 to 249-13 and shall entail no additional expense or charge to the person registering the ownership of a motor vehicle other than as provided by this section or by other laws; provided that for each new certificate of ownership issued by the director of finance under section 286-52, the director of finance may charge a fee which shall be deposited in the general fund.  The fees charged to issue a new certificate of ownership shall be established by the county's legislative body.

     (c)  In addition to any other fee collected for a certificate of registration, there shall be imposed a fee of $          .  Moneys collected pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited into the safe routes to school program special fund established pursuant to section 291C-4.

     (d)  Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, an additional fee of [not] no more than $2 for each certificate of registration for all motor vehicles may be established by ordinance and collected annually by the director of finance of each county, to be used and administered by each county:

     (1)  For the purpose of beautification and other related activities of highways under the ownership, control, and jurisdiction of each county;

     (2)  To defray the additional cost in the disposition and other related activities of abandoned or derelict vehicles as prescribed in chapter 290.  For the purposes of this paragraph, other related activities shall include but need not be limited to any and all storage fees that are negotiated between each county and a towing company contracted by the county to remove and dispose of abandoned or derelict vehicles; and

     (3)  To mitigate and address the impacts of tourism-related traffic congestion.

The $2 fee established pursuant to this subsection for certificates of registration for all motor vehicles may be increased by ordinance up to a maximum of $10.  The moneys so assessed and collected shall be placed in a revolving fund entitled, "the highway beautification, abandoned vehicle, and tourism-related traffic congestion revolving fund."

     SECTION 3.  Section 291C-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§291C-4  Safe routes to school program special fund; establishment.  There is established in the state treasury the safe routes to school program special fund, into which shall be deposited:

     (1)  Assessments collected for speeding in a school zone, pursuant to section 291C-104; [and]

     (2)  Safe routes to school program surcharges collected in accordance with sections 291-16 and 291C-5[.]; and

     (3)  Moneys collected pursuant to section 286-51(c)."

     SECTION 4.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 5.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 3000; provided that this Act shall take effect one year after its approval to allow counties sufficient time to educate the public and adjust their systems accordingly.

Report Title:

Motor Vehicle; Certificate of Registration; Additional Fee; Safe Routes to School Program Special Fund

Description:

Imposes an additional fee for a certificate of registration for motor vehicles, to be deposited into the Safe Routes to School Program Special Fund.  Effective 7/1/3000.  (HD1)

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to transportation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

Part I

     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that roadway safety is a top transportation priority.  Pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable roadway users are disproportionately impacted by traffic fatalities and injuries.  Between the periods from 2009 to 2013 and 2014 and 2018, pedestrian fatalities across the State rose by twenty-six per cent.  Decades of automobile‑centric planning and development have created formidable mobility barriers, including the lack of safe and accessible bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.  As part of the settlement agreement under Navahine v. Hawaii Department of Transportation, the State committed to completing its multimodal bike and pedestrian network within the next five years.

     The legislature further finds that a disproportionately high number of pedestrian injuries occur at signalized intersections.  To address these issues, some localities have been pursuing leading pedestrian intervals programs.  Leading pedestrian intervals programs typically give pedestrians a three to seven second head start when entering an intersection with a corresponding green signal in the same direction of travel.  Leading pedestrian intervals programs enhance the visibility of pedestrians in the intersection and reinforce their right-of-way over turning vehicles, especially in locations with a history of conflict.  Where installed, leading pedestrian intervals programs have been shown to reduce pedestrian-vehicle collisions as much as sixty per cent.

     The purpose of this Act is to:

     (1)  Require and appropriate funds for the department of transportation to install traffic actuated signals, including leading pedestrian interval and accessible pedestrian signals and detectors; and

     (2)  Impose an additional fee of $5 for a certificate of registration, to be deposited into the safe routes to school program special fund.

Part II

     SECTION 2.  Chapter 291C, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§291C-     Traffic-actuated signals; leading pedestrian interval; accessible pedestrian signal and detector.  (a)  Upon the first placement or replacement of a state owned or operated traffic actuated signal, a traffic actuated signal shall be installed and maintained to have a leading pedestrian interval and shall include the installation, activation, and maintenance of an accessible pedestrian signal and detector.

     (b)  The department of transportation shall install a leading pedestrian signal on no less than twenty-five existing intersections with traffic actuated signals on an annual basis.  In installing a leading pedestrian signal, the department of transportation shall prioritize installation of leading pedestrian signals at intersections with high collision rates.

     (c)  An existing state owned or operated traffic actuated signal capable of being implemented with remote installation or in-person programming shall have a leading pedestrian interval programmed when maintenance work is done on the intersection in which the traffic actuated signal is located if it is located in:

     (1)  A residential district;

     (2)  A business district;

     (3)  A business activity district;

     (4)  A safety corridor;

     (5)  A school zone; or

     (6)  An area with a high concentration of pedestrians and cyclists, as determined by the department of transportation.

     (d)  For purposes of this section:

     "Accessible pedestrian signal and detector" means an integrated device that communicates information about the "WALK" and "DON'T WALK" intervals at signalized intersections in nonvisual formats, including audible tones, speech messages, and vibrotactile surfaces, to pedestrians who are blind or have low vision.

     "Intersections with high collision rates" means intersections where one or more collisions with a pedestrian or bicyclist, resulting in a serious injury or fatality, has occurred in the last ten years.

     "Leading pedestrian interval" means an official traffic control signal that advances the "WALK" signal for three to seven seconds while the red signal halting traffic continues to be displayed on parallel through or turning traffic."

     SECTION 3.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $599,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2025-2026 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the installation or replacement of state-owned or operated traffic actuated signals with leading pedestrian interval and accessible pedestrian signals and detectors.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of transportation for the purposes of this Act.

Part III

     SECTION 4.  Section 286-51, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§286-51  Registration, expense.  (a)  The certificate of registration for each motor vehicle in the counties of the State shall be renewed on a staggered basis as established by each county.  The director of finance of each county may adopt rules to carry out the purposes stated in this section and shall expend the funds from the director's operating funds as may be necessary for these purposes; provided that if the director has ascertained as of the date of the application that:

     (1)  The registered owner has not deposited or paid bail with respect to any summons or citation issued to the registered owner for stopping, standing, or parking in violation of traffic ordinances within the county;

     (2)  The registered owner of a motor carrier vehicle, as defined in section 286-201, has not resolved any outstanding federal operations out-of-service orders issued by the United States Secretary of Transportation; or

     (3)  The registered owner has outstanding charges and fines owed to the county relating to the disposition of an abandoned vehicle, including for costs related to towing, storage, processing, and disposal,

the director may require, as a condition precedent to the renewal, that the registered owner deposit or pay bail with respect to all such summonses or citations, resolve all federal operations out-of-service orders, or pay all outstanding charges and fines relating to the disposition of the abandoned vehicle.  The payment of all outstanding charges or fines relating to the disposition of the abandoned vehicle shall not be a condition precedent to the transfer if the abandoned vehicle was stolen or taken from the registered owner without permission or authorization and a police report for the abandoned vehicle is filed within a period of time, to be determined by the director of finance of each county, after discovery of the abandoned vehicle.  The certificates of registration issued hereunder shall show, in addition to all information required under section 286-47, the serial number of the tag or emblem and shall be valid during the registration year only for which they are issued.  Any certificate of registration belonging to a motor carrier shall be suspended or revoked when that motor carrier has been issued any federal operations out-of-service orders by the United States Secretary of Transportation and that certificate of registration shall remain suspended or revoked until all the federal operations out-of-service orders are resolved.  The certificates of ownership need not be renewed annually but shall remain valid as to any interest shown therein until canceled by the director of finance as provided by law or replaced by new certificates of ownership as hereinafter provided.

     (b)  This part shall be administered by the director of finance in conjunction with the requirements of sections 249-1 to 249-13 and shall entail no additional expense or charge to the person registering the ownership of a motor vehicle other than as provided by this section or by other laws; provided that for each new certificate of ownership issued by the director of finance under section 286-52, the director of finance may charge a fee which shall be deposited in the general fund.  The fees charged to issue a new certificate of ownership shall be established by the county's legislative body.

     (c)  In addition to any other fee collected for a certificate of registration, there shall be imposed a fee of $5.  Moneys collected pursuant to this subsection shall be deposited into the safe routes to school program special fund established pursuant to section 291C-4.

     (d)  Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, an additional fee of [not] no more than $2 for each certificate of registration for all motor vehicles may be established by ordinance and collected annually by the director of finance of each county, to be used and administered by each county:

     (1)  For the purpose of beautification and other related activities of highways under the ownership, control, and jurisdiction of each county;

     (2)  To defray the additional cost in the disposition and other related activities of abandoned or derelict vehicles as prescribed in chapter 290.  For the purposes of this paragraph, other related activities shall include but need not be limited to any and all storage fees that are negotiated between each county and a towing company contracted by the county to remove and dispose of abandoned or derelict vehicles; and

     (3)  To mitigate and address the impacts of tourism-related traffic congestion.

The $2 fee established pursuant to this subsection for certificates of registration for all motor vehicles may be increased by ordinance up to a maximum of $10.  The moneys so assessed and collected shall be placed in a revolving fund entitled, "the highway beautification, abandoned vehicle, and tourism-related traffic congestion revolving fund"."

     SECTION 5.  Section 291C-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:

     "(d)  The department of transportation shall expend funds from the safe routes to school program special fund established pursuant to section 291C-4 in coordination with the safe routes to school advisory committee to be used [for]:

     (1)  For the implementation of the safe routes to school program plan and projects pursuant to section 291C-6(b)(2) and (3)[.]; or

     (2)  To match any federal funds received by the State for costs related to sidewalk and other infrastructure planning, development, and construction.

     No later than twenty days prior to the convening of each regular session, each county shall submit to the legislature an annual report on the status and progress of its county safe routes to school program, including an accounting of all grants provided through the program and a timeline for future grant awards."

     SECTION 6.  Section 291C-4, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§291C-4  Safe routes to school program special fund; establishment.  There is established in the state treasury the safe routes to school program special fund, into which shall be deposited:

     (1)  Assessments collected for speeding in a school zone, pursuant to section 291C-104; [and]

     (2)  Safe routes to school program surcharges collected in accordance with sections 291-16 and 291C-5[.]; and

     (3)  Moneys collected pursuant to section 286-51(c)."

PART IV

     SECTION 7.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 8.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

Report Title:

Traffic Actuated Signal; Leading Pedestrian Interval; Accessible Pedestrian Signal and Detector; Motor Vehicle; Certificate of Registration; Additional Fee; Safe Routes to School Program Special Fund

Description:

Requires and appropriates funds for the Department of Transportation to install traffic actuated signals, including leading pedestrian intervals and accessible pedestrian signals and detectors.  Imposes an additional fee of $5 for a certificate of registration for motor vehicles, to be deposited into the Safe Routes to School Program Special Fund.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.

STAND. COM. REP. NO.  707

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2025

RE:   H.B. No. 1471

      H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madame:

     Your Committee on Transportation, to which was referred H.B. No. 1471 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Require and appropriate funds for the Department of Transportation to install traffic actuated signals, including leading pedestrian interval and accessible pedestrian signals and detectors; and

     (2)  Impose an additional fee of $5 for a certificate of registration for a motor vehicle, to be deposited into the Safe Routes to School Program Special Fund.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from one member of the Kauaʻi County Council; People for Active Transportation Hawaii; Hawaii Self-Advocacy Advisory Council; Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice; Hawai‘i Bicycling League; Ulupono Initiative; Oahu Metropolitan Planning Organization; Hawai‘i Public Health Institute; 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 Health and Department of Customer Services of the City and County of Honolulu.

     Your Committee finds a particularly high number of pedestrian injuries occur at signalized intersections, where conflicts with turning vehicles are common.  This measure addresses these safety concerns by requiring the installation of leading pedestrian interval signals and accessible pedestrian signals and detectors, which have been shown to reduce pedestrian-vehicle collisions by increasing pedestrian visibility and reinforcing their right-of-way.

     Your Committee further notes that the Department of Transportation is currently working on installing traffic actuated signals, including pedestrian interval and accessible pedestrian signals and detectors throughout the State and that this provision may not be necessary.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting language related to the installation of traffic actuated signals, including leading pedestrian interval and accessible pedestrian signals and detectors, and the appropriation;

     (2)  Changing the additional fee for a certificate of registration to an unspecified amount;

     (3)  Deleting language that would have required the Department of Transportation to use the Safe Routes to School Program Special Fund to match any federal funds received for costs related to sidewalk and other infrastructure planning, development, and construction;

     (4)  Specifying that this measure shall take effect one year after its approval to allow counties sufficient time to educate the public and adjust their systems accordingly;

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

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

     Your Committee respectfully requests your Committee on Finance, should it deliberate on this measure, to consider an additional fee for a certificate of registration in an amount of $5 and an effective date of July 1, 2026.

     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. 1471, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1471, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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