House housing and transportation committees advance a package of transportation and harbor bills; several pass with amendments

House standing committees on Housing and Transportation met Jan. 30 in a joint public hearing and subsequent Transportation committee sessions and voted to advance a series of transportation and harbor-related bills, adopting committee amendments on many measures.

The committees moved HB 1484 (transit-oriented development) and HB 157 (Kapolei roadway transfers) out with amendments, and the Transportation Committee separately adopted technical and style changes to several harbor and transportation measures including HB 1083 (vessel mooring rules), HB 1159 (harbor evacuations), HB 1158 (civil liability for firefighting at commercial harbors), HB 1165 (county conveyance of property for state highway use), HB 1464 (access to motor-vehicle repair data), HB 1304 (clean fuel standard), HB 1302 (transportation demand management), HB 1301 (transportation network company regulation, with parts struck), HB 1161 (state mileage-based road usage charge), HB 368 and HB 226 (vehicle window tinting). HB 938 (Motor Vehicle Industry Licensing Act) was deferred for further refinement and stakeholder negotiation.

Votes were recorded on the floor of the committee meetings; in several cases committee chairs noted excused members and took the vote as the chair’s recommendation. Where committees adopted amendments, the chairs directed staff to add language or committee-report notes and to blank appropriation amounts for later finance consideration.

Highlights of formal actions taken (committee recommendation/outcome): - HB 1484 — Pass with amendments; committees adopted HCDA’s proposed amendment and removed a statutory reference from section 225P-8 as requested by HCDA; recommendation adopted by both committees. - HB 157 — Pass with amendments; committees noted they are awaiting an attorney general opinion about authority to force transfers and directed continued work on evacuation authority for police on streets pending transfer; recommendation adopted. - HB 1083 — Pass with amendments (effective date adjusted to a distant date for sequencing); committee directed DOT to refine exemptions for certain vessel types. - HB 1159 — Pass with amendments; committee asked DOT to consider exemptions for vessels with Coast Guard–approved mooring plans and to work on clarifying evacuation criteria. - HB 1158 — Pass with amendments limiting civil liability for firefighting actions at commercial harbors to damages resulting from gross negligence or wanton acts/omissions. - HB 1165 — Pass with amendments; committee adopted technical changes and blanked specific appropriations. - HB 938 — Deferred to allow further stakeholder negotiation; chair said measure needs substantial refinement and consensus before advancing. - HB 1464 — Pass with amendments; committee removed pages 1–12 that duplicate an existing national memorandum of understanding, noted consideration of motorcycle exclusions and asked DCCA to be the enforcement entity for related civil fines. - HB 1304 — Pass with amendments; committee left blank statutory percentages and directed DOT to work with utility feedback on potential cost impacts. - HB 1302 — Pass with amendments; the committee left appropriations blank for Finance, noted a statewide intent and OMPO involvement for program design. - HB 1301 — Pass with amendments with part 1 struck (repeal of PUC authority removed); committee retained parts 2 and 3 concerning TNC regulation. - HB 1161 — Pass with amendments; committee amended registration/inspection language, blanked appropriation amounts, and noted caps and report language about county mileage charge parity with county fuel tax. - HB 368 — Pass with amendments; committee noted clarification on authority to regulate medical conditions is needed. - HB 226 — Pass with amendments; committee reinstated a 35% visible light transmittance provision and raised fines modestly while expanding the regulation to sedans and requiring windows to be rolled down during traffic stops for officer safety.

The committee reports typically directed staff to insert committee positions, technical corrections and to blank appropriation amounts for later review by Finance. Several measures were deferred for further drafting or legal review.

Votes at a glance (committee-level outcomes as announced in the hearing record): HB 1484 (pass w/amend); HB 157 (pass w/amend); HB 1083 (pass w/amend); HB 1159 (pass w/amend); HB 1158 (pass w/amend); HB 1165 (pass w/amend); HB 938 (deferred); HB 1464 (pass w/amend); HB 1304 (pass w/amend); HB 1302 (pass w/amend); HB 1301 (pass w/amend, part 1 struck); HB 1161 (pass w/amend); HB 368 (pass w/amend); HB 226 (pass w/amend).

The committees’ actions keep multiple measures alive for follow-up drafting and appropriation decisions and flagged the need for additional attorney-general opinions, clarifying language from agencies, and negotiated stakeholder compromises on complex items such as franchise law and vehicle data access.

Ending: Several bills now move to subsequent committees for fiscal review or to final drafting; others will return to the committees if corrected language or AG opinions change the recommended approach. The committee record lists excused members where noted and records reservations filed by individual members where they were entered.