HB230 • 2026

RELATING TO TRAFFIC CITATIONS.

Active

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

Sponsor: KILA, CHUN, GARRETT, LAMOSAO, POEPOE, TAKENOUCHI
Last action: 2025-12-08
Official status: Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary does not provide details on how delays or lost mail will be handled.

Sending Traffic Citation Copies

This bill requires police officers to send a carbon copy of a traffic citation to the registered owner of a vehicle within five business days after issuing it.

What This Bill Does

Police must give a carbon copy of a traffic ticket to the person who owns the car that got the ticket.
The copy is sent by certified or registered mail with a return receipt.

Who It Names or Affects

Police officers who issue traffic citations
Vehicle owners whose cars receive traffic tickets

Terms To Know

Carbon copy: An extra copy of a document made at the same time as the original.
Registered owner: The person who officially owns and is registered to drive the vehicle.

Limits and Unknowns

It's not clear how this will affect people who don't live at the address on file with the vehicle licensing division.
This bill does not specify what happens if the mail gets lost or delayed.
The effective date of July 1, 3000 is likely a placeholder and needs to be updated.

Amendments

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

HD1

Hawaii published version HD1

Plain English: Hawaii published version HD1 1

This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.
The official amendment text was available, but an easy plain-English summary could not be produced automatically during the last sync.

Bill History

2025-12-08 D
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
2025-02-11 H
Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on JHA with none voting aye with reservations; Representative(s) Pierick voting no (1) and Representative(s) Cochran, Ward excused (2).
2025-02-11 H
Reported from TRN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 382) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.
2025-02-06 H
The committee on TRN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Kila, Grandinetti, Cochran, Evslin, Kitagawa, La Chica, Miyake, Muraoka; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Pierick.
2025-02-04 H
Bill scheduled to be heard by TRN on Thursday, 02-06-25 10:00AM in House conference room 430 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2025-01-21 H
Referred to TRN, JHA, referral sheet 1
2025-01-17 H
Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2025-01-16 H
Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO TRAFFIC CITATIONS.
Traffic Infractions; Citations or Summons
Requires police officers to send a carbon copy of a citation to the registered owner of a vehicle within five business days after the citation is issued. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB230

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

230

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to traffic citations
.

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

����
SECTION
1
.
�
Section 291C-165, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

����
"(b)
�
In every case when a citation is issued, the
original of the citation shall be given to the violator[
;
]
and a
carbon copy of the citation shall be sent by certified or registered mail, with
a return receipt that is postmarked within hours of
the time of the incident, to the registered owner of the vehicle at the address
on record at the vehicle licensing division;
provided that:

����
(1)
�
In the case of an unattended vehicle, the
original of the citation shall be affixed to the vehicle as provided for in
section 291C-167; or

����
(2)
�
In the case of:

���������
(A)
�
A vehicle utilizing the high occupancy vehicle
lane illegally; or

���������
(B)
�
A vehicle illegally utilizing a parking space
reserved for persons with disabilities, where the violator refuses the
citation,

the original of the citation shall be sent by
certified or registered mail, with a return receipt that is postmarked within
forty-eight hours of the time of the incident, as provided in section 291C-223
for vehicles illegally utilizing the high occupancy vehicle lane, or within
seventy-two hours of the time of the incident for vehicles illegally utilizing
a parking space reserved for persons with disabilities, to the registered owner
of the vehicle at the address on record at the vehicle licensing division.
�
If the end of the applicable forty-eight [
or
]
,

seventy-two
, or
hour period falls on a
Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, then the ending period shall run until the end of
the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday; provided that the
administrative judge of the district courts may allow a carbon copy of the citation
to be given to the violator or affixed to the vehicle and provide for the
disposition of the original and any other copies of the citation."

����
SECTION 2.
�
This Act does not affect rights and duties
that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun
before its effective date.

����
SECTION
3.
�
Statutory material to be repealed is
bracketed and stricken.
�
New statutory
material is underscored.

����
SECTION 4.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Traffic
Infractions; Citations or Summons

Description:

Requires police
officers to send a carbon copy of a citation to the registered owner of a
vehicle within a certain time frame after the citation is issued.

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