Lawmakers are trying to get even more mileage out of a proposed vehicle registration fee hike. ADVERTISING Lawmakers are trying to get even more mileage out of a proposed vehicle registration fee hike. A bill that initially sought to increase
Lawmakers are trying to get even more mileage out of a proposed vehicle registration fee hike.
A bill that initially sought to increase the state’s share of fees from $45 to $60 — the amount requested by Gov. David Ige and transportation officials — would now set the fee at $76.50. That represents a 70 percent increase.
The state Senate passed the latest version Tuesday in a 16-8 vote.
The bill, which will now be considered by the House, also increases the state’s fuel tax by 3 cents per gallon. Vehicle weight fees would increase by a penny per pound and a diesel tax would increase by 1 cent per gallon.
The Department of Transportation requested the fuel tax and registration fee hikes that were initially proposed to provide an additional $45.1 million a year for road maintenance and widening projects. It’s not clear how much the latest proposed registration fee increase would raise.
The legislation is Senate Bill 2938.
Meanwhile, senators also green-lighted legislation which would bump speed limits on Saddle Road to 60 miles per hour — one of the many bills to successfully move to the other chamber by Thursday’s crossover deadline.
The amended SB 2375, introduced by state Sen. Lorraine Inouye, would bump up the limit starting at mile marker 19, excluding the Pohakuloa training area and the area one-half mile east of the Mauna Kea county park entrance, where the posted limit is lower. The speed limit on most of Saddle is currently 55 mph.
Saddle, also known as Route 200 or the Daniel K. Inouye Highway, is the fastest way for island commuters to travel between the east and west sides of the island.
Local law enforcement opposed raising the limit citing safety concerns.
But Inouye’s bill gleaned mostly support from community members on the Big Island.
If the bill passes, Saddle would be the third limit in the state with a 60 mph limit.
The other two 60 mph roads include portions of highways on Oahu.
Here is a list of noteworthy bills that made or missed the crossover deadline:
Bills passed by
House or Senate
SB 2271: Appropriates funds to fight rapid ohia death.
HB 1607: Provides coupons for little fire ant treatments.
HB 2555: Authorizes state to regulate hemp cultivation for research.
HB 2424: Requires state to partner with private groups to fight invasive species.
SB 2240: Provides funding to increase the state’s vector control workforce.
SB 3073: Creates a flight school at UH-Hilo.
SB 2021: Authorizes special purpose revenue bonds for a Hawaii Island bioenergy plant.
SB 2313: Addresses pay discrimination based on gender.
SB 2372: Requires counties to accept ownership of private roads abandoned by the private owner.
SB 2535: Prevents counties from passing geothermal regulations.
SB 3071: Authorizes purchase of the Kapua makai lands on Hawaii Island.
SB 3072: Establishes Hawaii airport authority.
HB 2231: Allows energy co-ops to qualify for special purpose revenue bonds.
SB 2523: Allows medical marijuana to be grown in green or shade houses.
SB 2659: Starts a hemp pilot program.
SB 2787: Allows hemp production.
HB 1170: Allows public lands to be leased for geothermal projects without an auction.
SB 2804: Authorizes $10 million in special purpose revenue bonds for Big Island Dairy.
SB 2618: Funds interisland ferry study.
HB 2596: Provides funds to fight macadamia felted coccid.
HB 2707: Creates medical marijuana advisory commission.
SB 2938: Increases gas tax and vehicle registration fees.
HB 2501: Allows revocable water permits to be extended under certain conditions.
HB 1996: Agriculture theft prevention pilot project.
SB 2476: Establishes early language program for deaf children.
SB 2394: Requires flu vaccines for health care workers.
HB 2502: Bans trafficking of protected animals.
SB 2647: Bans the sale or trade of any part of various animal and marine species.
HB 2023: Creates community-based subsistence fishing areas.
HB 1736: Renames Kona International Airport the Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport.
HB 2528: Provides funds for a shooting facility in West Hawaii.
SB 2375: Increases Saddle Road speed limit.
HB 2707: Creates a medical marijuana advisory commission.
Bills that missed
the cutoff
HB 1732: Restores county-level permitting for geothermal projects.
HB 2223: Provides funds for rat lungworm disease research.
HB 2516: Provides funds for albizia tree management.
SB 2049: Provides funds for Hilo Medical Center primary care training program.
SB 2055: Requires safety helmets to ride motorcycles, scooters and mopeds for riders under 25.
SB 2699: Creates term limits for lawmakers.
SB 3048: Provides funds for traffic light at Shipman Business Park.
HB 1596: Creates invasive species special fund.
HB 2011: Requires sick leave for most employees.
HB 2552: Publicly-funded elections.
HB 2712: Creates science subzones.
SB 2127: Requires higher lease rent for telescopes on Mauna Kea.
SB 2478: Increases general excise tax to fund long-term care for seniors.
SB 2519: Requires coffee blends to disclose regional origins and percentage.
SB 2933: Provides funding for a federal inspection station at Kona International Airport.
SB 2263: Bans dog meat consumption.
SB 3039: Allows health care providers to ask patients about food stamp participation.
SB 2124: Increases ceded land
payments to Office of Hawaiian Affairs.
SB 2599: Increases general excise tax for public education.
(Note: Some measures might still exist in other legislation.)
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Email Kirsten Johnson at
kjohnson@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
