RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES.

HB844

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

844

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING
TO motor vehicles
.

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

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SECTION
1.
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The legislature finds that the
State's current restrictions on the installation and use of sun screening
devices, including window tinting, on motor vehicles have unintended, adverse
consequences on public health, comfort, and property.

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In
particular, the State's location within the tropics means Hawaii drivers
experience more intense sunlight, hotter temperatures, and higher amounts of
glare and sun exposure.
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Due to the
effects of climate change, temperatures are likely to get even hotter over the
coming years and decades.
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Tinted windows
can help to increase comfort by lowering the interior temperature of the motor
vehicle while also reducing glare, allowing commuters to drive more safely.
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Tinted windows also help to block ultraviolet
light, reducing health risks for drivers and their passengers while also
protecting the vehicle's interior from sun damage.

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Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to amend the State's regulation of sun screening
devices on motor vehicles by lowering the allowable amount of light
transmittance for vehicle windows from thirty‑five per cent, plus or
minus six per cent, to twenty-five per cent, plus or minus five per cent.

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SECTION
2
.
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Section 291-21.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
amended by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:

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"(d)
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This section shall not apply to:

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(1)
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Rearview mirrors;

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(2)
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Adjustable
nontransparent sun visors which are mounted forward of the side windows and are
not attached to the glazing material;

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(3)
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Signs, stickers,
or other materials which are displayed in a seven-inch square in the lower
corner of the windshield farthest removed from the driver or signs, stickers,
or other materials which are displayed in a five-inch square in the lower
corner of the windshield nearest the driver;

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(4)
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Rear trunk lid
handle or hinges;

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(5)
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Window wipers and
window wiper motors;

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(6)
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Transparent sun
screening film materials which are installed, affixed, or applied along the top
edge of the windshield so long as such materials do not encroach upon the AS-1
portion of the windshield as provided by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 205
or no lower than four inches below the top of the windshield, when measured
from the middle point of the bottom edge of the top windshield moulding if no
AS-1 markings can be found in the left or right upper margin of the windshield;

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(7)
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Sun screening
devices for front side wing vents and windows which, when used in conjunction
with the glazing material have a light transmittance of no less than [
thirty-five
]

twenty-five
per cent plus or minus [
six
]
five
per cent;

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(8)
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Sun screening
devices for side windows necessary for driving visibility which are to the rear
of the driver and for rear windows necessary for driving visibility which, when
used in conjunction with the glazing material, have a light transmittance of no
less than [
thirty-five
]
twenty-five
per cent plus or minus [
six
]

five
per cent;

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(9)
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Side windows which
are to the rear of the driver and rear windows on vans, minivans, trucks, or
buses; provided that the vehicles are equipped with rearview mirrors on both
sides;

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(10)
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Privacy drapes,
curtains, or blinds, or any combination, installed on the interior of motor
homes; or

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(11)
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Transparent sun
screening materials, when applied to the AS-1 portion of the windshield, which
meets the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 205."

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

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

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Motor
Vehicles; Highway Safety; Sun Screening Devices; Light Transmittance

Description:

Amend the State's regulation of sun screening devices on
motor vehicles by lowering the allowable amount of light transmittance for
vehicle windows from 35%, plus or minus 6%, to 25%, plus or minus 5%.

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