Hawaii Senate Bill SCR207

Hawaii 2023 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/10/23
• Refer: 3/15/23

Caption

Requesting The Auditor To Conduct An Audit Of The Honolulu Police Department; City And County Of Honolulu Department Of Customer Services, Motor Vehicle, Licensing, And Permits Division; And District Court Of The First Circuit.

Impact

The resolution aims to address and rectify a significant issue within the vehicle transfer process, where the legal transferor may inadvertently become responsible for fines and court appearances due to mismanagement or miscommunication among various government agencies. By requesting the Auditor to conduct this audit, SCR207 seeks to shed light on the complexities and flaws in the current system that allow for erroneous enforcement of traffic laws against individuals who no longer own the cited vehicles.

Summary

SCR207, introduced in the 2023 Regular Session of the Hawaii Legislature, requests an audit of the Honolulu Police Department, the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Customer Services, and the District Court of the First Circuit. The primary objective of this resolution is to investigate instances where individuals who have sold or transferred their vehicles continue to receive traffic citations and notices of default judgments for infractions committed by the new owners of these vehicles. The bill highlights the procedural inconsistencies and potential human errors that lead to these situations, creating financial and time burdens for unwitting transferors.

Contention

The bill delineates several pivotal steps where errors can occur, contributing to wrongful enforcement actions that can lead to undue hardship for vehicle transferors. SCR207 is driven by the necessity to understand these procedural shortcomings, which can include failures in filing notices of transfer or lapses in communication between the DMV and the courts. The findings from the audit could lead to legislative changes aimed at improving the vehicle transfer process and ensuring that individuals are not unduly penalized.

Recommendations

Upon completion of the audit, the Auditor is expected to provide recommendations, which may include proposed legislation to amend existing laws and improve the systems in place. The findings are due to be submitted to the Legislature not later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2024 Regular Session, making it a timely initiative aimed at promoting efficiency and fairness in the handling of vehicle ownership transfers.