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Testimony of the Hawaii State Association of Counties on H.B. No. 2556, H.D.1 Relating to Registration of Vehicles Committee on Transportation Wednesday, March 11, 2020,1:15 p.m. Room 225 The Hawaii State Association of Counties (HSAC) supports H.B. No. 2556, H.D. 1, with a proposed amendment. H.B. No. 2556, H.D.1: • Authorizes a county director of finance to withhold the issuance or renewal of a certificate of registration for a motor vehicle until the county is reimbursed for the costs of the disposition of an abandoned vehicle; • Makes it a misdemeanor to abandon a vehicle on any roadway or property without the consent of the owner of lessee of the property; ' Requires a court to report to the county director of finance any conviction for abandoning a vehicle and prohibits the convicted person from operating a vehicle; and • Authorizes the county to assess and collect fees and penalties for actions relating to the disposition of abandoned vehicles. HSAC supports the intent of H.B. No. 2556, H.D.1, which will help in addressing the problem of abandoned and derelict vehicles. The more immediate problem are the costs for the removal and disposal of abandoned or derelict vehicles, which in many cases, are absorbed by the county. These costs may vary from county to county depending upon the availability of towing resources, storage areas for the vehicles, operating funds, recycling options for the vehicles, etc. Kauai Police Department, for example, has testified that, "In the last quarter alone, we towed 247 abandoned or derelict vehicles. Towing charges.for that quarter totaled $66,462. To address the problem, the Department of Customer Service, City and County of Honolulu, has requested that the cap on the fee that a county may impose to' defray 12