HONOLULU — The House Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs on March 28, 2025 advanced a package of transportation and highway‑safety bills and adopted several technical amendments and clarifications.

The committee, meeting in Conference Room 325, moved forward measures that its chair said target public safety on roadways, children’s routes to school and administrative processes tied to motor vehicles. Committee members voted to adopt technical corrections and targeted statutory edits on several bills and passed committee recommendations on most measures on the agenda.

Why it matters: The bills affect roadway safety (parking near crosswalks, noisy mufflers, automated speed enforcement), helmet requirements for younger riders, administrative processes for vehicle transfers and license revocation timing, and automated enforcement procedures. Changes approved by the committee may alter penalties, administrative timelines and how automated enforcement is implemented.

Key actions and summaries

- SB1195 SD1 HD1 (parking near crosswalks): The measure would prohibit parking within certain distances of marked crosswalks, deposit fines into the Safe Routes to School special fund, and allow certain exemptions. The Department of Transportation and the Department of Health supported the bill; testimony cited improved visibility and roadway safety. The committee adopted technical language clarifications and amended the penalty structure to set the fine at $50 per violation.

- SB1102 SD2 HD1 (aircraft rescue firefighting unit): The bill clarifies terms and appointment processes for the chief of the aircraft rescue firefighting unit in the airports division. Kurt Otaguro, deputy director for airports, said the change would allow the director to select leadership on a term basis to adapt to emerging operational needs. The committee approved technical amendments and advanced the measure.

- SB1216 HD1 (noisy mufflers and inspection rules): DOT testified it supports the bill’s intent and described an upcoming noise‑detection camera pilot planned for multiple Waikiki locations and one H‑3 corridor site; DOT said it hopes to finalize the contract within one to two months. The committee adopted clearer penalty language and structure for first, second and third violations (first: up to $150; second within 3 years: up to $350; third or subsequent within 3 years: up to $950) and advanced the bill with technical edits.

- SB30 HD1 (mopeds): DOT and the Honolulu Police Department spoke in favor of requiring helmets for certain moped riders and prohibiting persons under 16 from driving a moped. Testimony cited crash data and claims that helmets reduce fatal or severe injuries. The committee approved technical amendments and advanced the bill.

- SB344 SD1 HD1 (skateboard helmets): DOT supported the helmet requirement for skateboard users under 18. The committee moved the bill with technical amendments.

- SB1095 SD1 HD1 (license plates decal size): DOT expressed concerns that larger decals could affect letter sizing and automated plate‑reader performance. The committee moved the bill forward for conference consideration rather than making onsite changes.

- SB1522 HD1 (vehicle title transfers): The judiciary provided comments about court processes and asked that the bill not require courts to create new mandatory forms; the committee adopted an amendment listing specific penalties for false or fraudulent information (fine of not less than $500 and not more than $1,000) and agreed to allow the judiciary to add or post forms or instructions by July 1, 2026, if necessary. The amended recommendation moved forward.

- SB597 (ADLRO review‑decision timeline): DOT supported extending the Administrative Driver’s License Revocation Office (ADLRO) decision timeline from 8 to 22 days to accommodate chemical testing turnaround times. The committee approved technical amendments and advanced the bill.

- SB97 SD2 HD1 (motor vehicles; three-part bill): The committee changed the bill in committee. It replaced part 1 with language from HB54 HD2 to raise penalties for repeat excessive‑speeding offenses to a misdemeanor instead of creating a Class C felony; it kept part 2 (penalties for automated speed enforcement noncompliance) with conforming edits and proposed amendments to match red‑light camera statutes so the automated enforcement threshold could be set (for example, to 10 mph over the limit); and it deleted part 3 of the original bill. The committee advanced the revised bill with amendments.

Procedural outcomes (votes at a glance)

- SB1195 SD1 HD1 — Adopted by committee with amendments (technical edits; fine amended to $50).
- SB1102 SD2 HD1 — Adopted by committee with technical amendments.
- SB1216 SD1 HD1 — Adopted by committee with clarified penalty tiers and technical edits.
- SB30 HD1 — Adopted by committee with technical amendments.
- SB344 SD1 HD1 — Adopted by committee with technical amendments.
- SB1095 SD1 HD1 — Moved forward to conference as is (DOT concerns noted).
- SB1522 HD1 — Adopted with amendments addressing judiciary language and penalty specification.
- SB597 — Adopted by committee with technical amendments (extension of ADLRO decision timeline).
- SB97 SD2 HD1 — Adopted by committee with substantial amendments (part 1 replaced by HB54 HD2 language, part 3 deleted).

Discussion highlights and outstanding issues

Committee members and testifiers focused on safety benefits for children (Safe Routes to School), enforcement practicality (noise‑detection cameras and how HPD would enforce post‑inspection muffler changes), and administrative clarity (court forms and timelines for ADLRO decisions). DOT described the planned noise camera pilot locations and timeline; the judiciary and ADLRO raised process and due‑process concerns for other measures (see separate coverage of SB1285).

What’s next

The committee’s recommendations, as amended, advance to the next stages of consideration and, in some cases, to conference committees. A separate committee decision deferred SB1285 (administrative revocation tiers) after due‑process concerns were raised by ADLRO staff and others.