Committee urges Public Utilities Commission to back transfer of motor- and water-carrier oversight to DOT

The House Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce on April 1 passed resolutions urging the Public Utilities Commission to support transferring regulatory authority over motor carriers and water carriers to the Department of Transportation.

The resolutions, HCR45 HD1 and HR38 HD1, request that the PUC back a complete transfer of oversight of motor carriers and other means of transportation, including water carriers, to DOT. "I signed the commission's written testimony in support of HCR45 HD1 and HR38 HD1," said Andrew Okabe, a utility analyst at the Public Utilities Commission, who testified on behalf of the commission.

Why it matters: the measure asks the PUC to support a statutory transfer of oversight and therefore is a formal request for policy alignment between the two agencies. Proponents say the transfer would consolidate regulatory oversight within DOT; opponents were not recorded on the measure at the hearing.

At the hearing, representatives of the Department of Transportation also said they supported the measure. "We stand in support of this measure on our testimony as submitted," said Larry Dill, identified in the hearing as an administrator with the Kauai Department of Transportation. Both agencies told the committee they had supported related legislation in a prior session and would consider supporting future bills that would change statutes.

Committee members asked whether a resolution alone would accomplish a transfer. Okabe and Dill both said statutory changes would be required to change references to the commission in existing law to the appropriate DOT division. Okabe referenced a prior bill, SB1219, that had been deferred in a Senate committee and said the resolution could prod the agencies to support future statutory efforts.

Votes at the hearing were recorded by the chair; the committee adopted the chair and vice chair recommendation to pass the measure as is. The record noted Representative Iligan was excused and other members voted aye on the chair's recommendation.

The committee took no formal action to change statute language at the hearing; the resolutions are requests that could support future legislation.