HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
113 |
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
Requesting the Department of Transportation to study ways to encourage all police and fire stations in the state to have a certified child passenger safety technician available to inspect child passenger restraint systems.
WHEREAS, Hawaii's child passenger restraint law, codified as section 291-11.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires children under four years of age to be properly restrained in a child passenger restraint system that meets federal motor vehicle safety standards at the time of the system's manufacture; and
WHEREAS, the child passenger restraint law further requires that children four years of age or older, but less than eight years of age, must be properly restrained in a child safety seat or booster seat that meets federal motor vehicle safety standards, unless the child meets certain exemptions; and
WHEREAS, persons operating a vehicle in violation of the child passenger restraint law are required to appear in court, attend a four-hour course on child passenger restraint system safety, and pay a fine between $100 and $500; and
WHEREAS, currently, parents who wish to have their child's safety seat or booster seat inspected to ensure that the seat meets the requirements of state law have limited options; and
WHEREAS, although certain inspection stations offer free car seat inspection services, these stations are limited in number, especially on neighbor islands; and
WHEREAS, for example, on the island of Hawaii, inspection stations are located only in Hilo, Kailua-Kona, and Kamuela; and
WHEREAS, on the island of Maui, child seat inspections are only available in Wailuku, Hana, and Lahaina; and
WHEREAS, on the island of Kauai, inspection stations are located only in Lihue; and
WHEREAS, the limited number of inspection station locations means that parents often need to make long drives to have safety seats inspected; and
WHEREAS, many other states offer a higher number of inspection locations, typically at neighborhood fire and police stations, thereby ensuring that all residents have convenient access to safety seat or booster seat inspections; and
WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii should examine whether a similar approach would be feasible here; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Transportation is requested to study ways to encourage all police and fire stations in the State to have a certified child passenger safety technician available to inspect child safety and booster seats; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2019; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Transportation.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Department of Transportation; Child Passenger Restraint System; Inspection Stations; Study