Hawaii House Bill HR38

Hawaii 2025 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/4/25
• Refer: 3/14/25
• Report Pass: 3/28/25
• Refer: 3/28/25
• Report Pass: 4/3/25
• Passed: 4/3/25

Caption

Urging The Public Utilities Commission To Support The Complete Transfer Of Its Regulatory Authority Over Motor Carriers And Other Means Of Transportation, Including Water Carriers, To The Department Of Transportation.

Summary

H.R. 38 is a House Resolution urging the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to support transferring all of its regulatory authority over motor carriers and other transportation providers, including water carriers, to the Department of Transportation (DOT). The resolution explains that the PUC currently regulates motor carriers under Hawaii’s Motor Carrier Law, including tariff oversight, annual financial reporting, and other administrative compliance duties, while the DOT already handles enforcement of those laws after Act 117 (2024) shifted enforcement responsibilities from the PUC to the DOT. The resolution is nonbinding and does not itself change the law. Instead, it expresses the House’s view that full regulatory authority should be consolidated at the DOT, subject to future legislative action. If adopted in legislation later, the change would likely move remaining regulatory functions away from the PUC and further centralize transportation oversight within the DOT, affecting motor carriers, water carriers, and related transportation businesses operating in Hawaii.

Impact

Because this is a resolution rather than a bill, it does not amend statutes or directly alter agency authority. Its practical effect is to formally encourage the PUC to endorse a future statutory transfer of regulatory powers, building on Act 117 (Session Laws of Hawaii 2024), which already moved enforcement of the Motor Carrier Law to the DOT. Any actual transfer of regulatory authority would require separate legislative action and would affect the division of responsibilities between the PUC and DOT, as well as the regulated transportation industry.

Sentiment

The overall sentiment reflected in the resolution is supportive of consolidation and administrative streamlining. The bill’s findings emphasize public safety, more consistent enforcement, and the DOT’s greater statewide enforcement presence and transportation expertise as reasons to shift authority. No committee testimony or vote record is provided, so the available context shows a one-sided, favorable framing rather than a documented debate.

Contention

The main point of contention is institutional authority: the PUC currently holds regulatory power over motor carriers, while the DOT already handles enforcement, and the resolution urges the PUC to back a complete transfer of remaining authority. The resolution suggests that the PUC’s role is resource-intensive and that the DOT could provide more efficient oversight, but it also acknowledges that any full transfer would require legislative action. Potential concerns implied by the text include agency jurisdiction, the scope of regulatory consolidation, and how the change would affect oversight of motor carriers and water carriers.