RELATING TO INJURIOUS MATERIALS.

Children Crime Labor

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: SOUZA, BELATTI, TARNAS
Last action: 2026-02-24
Official status: The committee(s) on JHA recommend(s) that the measure be deferred.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill's effective date of July 1, 3000, is unusual and may be subject to change.

Rules to Stop Harmful Items on Roads

This bill makes it illegal to put harmful objects like nails, glass, or other dangerous items on roads in Hawaii.

What This Bill Does

Makes it against the law for anyone to place harmful materials such as nails, screws, bottles, or any item that could damage vehicles or hurt people on highways, lanes, roads, streets, or alleys.
Requires anyone who accidentally drops something dangerous to clean it up right away.
Says only authorized government workers can put things in the road.

Who It Names or Affects

Drivers and pedestrians who use roads, lanes, streets, or alleys.
People who might drop harmful items on roads by accident or intentionally.
Government agencies that authorize putting things in roadways.

Terms To Know

Injurious materials: Items like nails, glass, bottles, and other objects that can damage vehicles or hurt people if left on roads.
Petty misdemeanor: A minor crime with a lower penalty than a regular misdemeanor.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not affect existing legal rights and duties that happened before the law goes into effect.
It is unclear when exactly this bill will become active since it has an unusual effective date of July 1, 3000.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: This amendment adds a new law to the Hawaii Revised Statutes that prohibits placing, dropping, or leaving destructive or injurious materials like nails and screws on roads and streets, with penalties ranging from violations to misdemeanors depending on the circumstances.

Adds a new section in Chapter 291C of the Hawaii Revised Statutes prohibiting individuals from intentionally placing or dropping items such as tacks, bottles, wire, glass, nails, screws, or other articles that could damage vehicles or injure people and animals on roads without proper authorization.
Requires anyone who drops destructive materials to immediately remove them.
Establishes penalties for violations, including misdemeanor charges if the offense involves intent to cause harm or is committed within a year of prior traffic offenses.

The effective date listed as July 1, 3000 appears incorrect and may be a placeholder or error in the text provided.

Bill History

2026-02-24 H
The committee(s) on JHA recommend(s) that the measure be deferred.
2026-02-20 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by JHA on Tuesday, 02-24-26 2:00PM in House conference room 325 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-02-20 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Quinlan excused (1).
2026-02-20 H
Reported from TRN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 666-26) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.
2026-02-12 H
The committee on TRN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Kila, Miyake, Cochran, Evslin, Kitagawa, La Chica, Muraoka, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Grandinetti.
2026-02-10 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by TRN on Thursday, 02-12-26 8:30AM in House conference room 430 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-01-28 H
Referred to TRN, JHA, referral sheet 3
2026-01-26 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-01-23 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO INJURIOUS MATERIALS.
Traffic Code; Destructive or Injurious Materials; Roads; Highways; Penalties
Prohibits placing, dropping, or leaving destructive or injurious materials on highways, lanes, roads, streets, and alleys. Establishes penalties. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB1915

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1915

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING
TO INJURIOUS MATERIALS
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1.
�
The legislature recognizes that
certain irresponsible parties have been intentionally leaving nails, screws,
and other items on roads on the island of Oahu, particularly in Kaimuki and
Makakilo.
�
These injurious materials have
caused severe damage to the tires of motor vehicles.
�
The legislature finds it necessary to ensure
the safety of drivers and pedestrians by deterring this behavior.

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Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to prohibit placing, dropping, or leaving injurious
materials on highways, lanes, roads, streets, and alleys.

����
SECTION
2.
�
Chapter 291C, Hawaii Revised
Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part XII to be appropriately
designated and to read as follows:

����
"
�291C-
�
Injurious materials; prohibitions.
�
(a)
�

No person shall intentionally or knowingly place or drop upon any part
of a highway, lane, road, street, or alley any tack, bottle, wire, glass, nail,
screw, or other article that may damage or injure any person, vehicle, or
animal traveling along or upon the highway, lane, road, street, or alley, unless
the person is authorized to do so by an appropriate governmental agency.

����
(b)
�
Any person who drops or permits to be dropped
or thrown upon any highway, lane, road, street, or alley any destructive or
injurious material shall immediately remove the material from the highway,
lane, road, street, or alley.

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(c)
�
Any person authorized to remove a wrecked or
damaged vehicle from a highway, lane, road, street, or alley shall remove any
glass or other injurious substance dropped from the vehicle upon the highway,
lane, road, street, or alley.

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(d)
�
No person shall place any obstruction in or
upon a highway, lane, road, street, or alley unless authorized to do so by an
appropriate governmental agency.

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(e)
�
A person convicted of violating of this
section shall be guilty of a violation; provided that if:

����
(1)
�
The offense was committed within one year
of a prior conviction for a motor vehicle or traffic offense, the person shall
be guilty of a petty misdemeanor, unless paragraph (3) applies;

����
(2)
�
The offense was committed within one year
of two or more prior convictions for motor vehicle or traffic offenses, the
person shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, unless paragraph (3) applies; and

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(3)
�
The person violated subsection (a) and did
so with intent to cause physical harm or damage to any person, vehicle, or
animal, the person shall be guilty of a class C felony.
"

����
SECTION
3.
�
This Act does not affect rights and
duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were
begun before its effective date.

����
SECTION
4.
�
New statutory material is
underscored.

����
SECTION 5.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Traffic
Code; Injurious Materials; Roads; Highways; Penalties

Description:

Prohibits
placing, dropping, or leaving injurious materials on highways, lanes, roads,
streets, and alleys.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.