STAND. COM. REP. NO.
Honolulu, Hawaii
APR O 2 2025
RE: S.R. No. 151
S .D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts, to
which was referred S.R. No. 151 entitled:
"SENATE RESOLUTION URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO
ESTABLISH A WORKING GROUP ON LOWERING THE LEGAL LIMIT OF
BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION TO 0.05 GRAMS OF ALCOHOL PER ONE
HUNDRED MILLILITERS OF BLOOD,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the
Department of Transportation to establish a working group on
lowering the legal limit of blood alcohol concentration to 0.05
grams of alcohol per one hundred milliliters of blood.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Office of the Governor, Hawaii Substance Abuse Coalition,
Hawai‘i Alcohol Policy Alliance, and one individual.
Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this
measure from one individual.
Your Committee received comments on this measure from the
Office of the Public Defender and one individual.
Your Committee finds that more than one hundred countries
have reduced their legal blood alcohol concentration levels to
0.05 percent or lower, including Australia, Austria, France,
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Germany, Italy, and Spain. Your Committee further finds that from
2011 to 2022, at least forty percent of traffic fatalities in
Hawaii involved alcohol. Your Committee believe that reducing the
legal blood alcohol concentration limit to 0.05 percent would
likely lead to fewer instances of impaired driving and its
consequences. Therefore, this measure requests the Department of
Transportation to convene a working group to study the potential
effects of future legislation that would decrease the legal blood
alcohol limit for drivers throughout the State.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Clarifying that the intent of the working group is to
prioritize safety and saving lives on Hawaii's roads;
(2) Inserting language to request that the working group
additionally include the following members:
(A) A representative from the Office of the Public
Defender;
(B) A representative from the Office of the Prosecuting
Attorney of Kauai;
(C) A representative from the Office of the Prosecuting
Attorney of Hawaii; and
(D) A representative from the Department of the
Prosecuting Attorney of Maui;
(3) Inserting language to request that the working group
invite the following individuals to participate as
members of the working group:
(A) A representative from the National Transportation
Safety Board;
(B) A representative of Hawaii establishments selling
alcohol;
(C) A representative of Hawaii restaurants;
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(D) A representative from an organization doing work on
reducing alcohol-related fatalities; and
(E) Any other members as deemed appropriate;
(4) Inserting language to request the working group to
examine data to identify:
(A) The number of alcohol-related fatalities and
injuries per year in Hawaii;
(B) The number of expected fatalities and injuries per
year involving drivers with a blood alcohol
concentration of .05 grams of alcohol per one
hundred milliliters of blood, based on real world
results in other places;
(C) How alcohol and food revenues are affected in other
places that require drivers to have a blood alcohol
concentration of .05 grams of alcohol per one
hundred milliliters of blood;
(D) How much revenue could be expected to be gained or
lost by decreasing the legal blood alcohol
concentration to .05 grams of alcohol per one
hundred milliliters of blood in Hawaii;
(E) Mitigating steps to help bars and restaurants adapt
to any potential loss of revenue or options that
might be recommended to address any loss; and
(F) Any recommendations to increase public awareness
and phase-in legislation;
(5) Amending its title accordingly; and
(6) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the
purposes of clarity and consistency.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Transportation and Culture and the Arts that is
attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent
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and purpose of S.R. No. 151, as amended herein, and recommends its
adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 151, S.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on
behalf of the members of the
Committee on Transportation and
Culture and the Arts,
CHRIS LEE, Chair
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 The Senate
Thirty-Third Legislature
State of Hawai‘i
Record of Votes
Committee on Transportation and Cuiture and the Arts
TCA
Bill / Resolution No.:* Committee Referral: Date:
IBI TCA
The Committee is reconsidering its previous decision on this measure.
If so, then the previous decision was to: ___________________________________
The Recommendation is:
Pass, unamended V Pass, with amendments __ Hold __ Recommit
2312 ’ 2311 2310 2313
Members . Ay/ Aye (WR) Nay Excused
LEE. Chris (C)
INOUYE, Lorraine R. (VC)
ELEFANTE, Brandon J.C.
KANUHA, Dru Mamo
DECORTE, Samantha
TOTAL /
Recommendation: /
Adopted __ Not Adopted
Chair’s orD^signee’s Signature:
Distribution: Original Yellow Pink Goldenrod
File with Committee Report Clerk's Office Drafting Agency Committee File Copy
*Only one measure per Record of Votes
Revised: 12/09/24