HB 537 Hawaii House · 2025 Regular Session

RELATING TO TWO-WHEELED MOTORIZED VEHICLES.

Summary

Repeals the exception for when a person is not required to wear a safety helmet when operating a moped or motor scooter leased from a rental company. Requires operators and passengers of motorcycles to wear safety helmets with securely fastened chin straps while operating two-wheeled motorized vehicles on highways, streets, roadways, or any other public property in the State. Requires all renters or lessees of an electric foot scooter to wear a safety helmet regardless of their age. Effective 7/1/3000. (HD1)

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 17, 2025 Last action Feb 12, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

HB537 → HB537_HD1 · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill significantly expands helmet requirements for two-wheeled vehicles in Hawaii. It removes the rental exception for mopeds and motor scooters, requires helmets for all motorcycle operators and passengers, and mandates helmets for all electric foot scooter renters regardless of age. The bill also adds new provisions requiring helmets for minors on motor scooters and creates a sales regulation for helmet vendors.

Scope change

The bill expands helmet requirements from primarily motorcycles to include all two-wheeled motorized vehicles, specifically adding electric foot scooters and removing rental company exemptions for mopeds and motor scooters.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the exception allowing moped and motor scooter renters to operate without helmets if provided by the rental company

Added requirement for all electric foot scooter renters to wear helmets regardless of age

Added new subsection requiring helmets for minors operating or riding motor scooters

Added sales regulation requiring helmet vendors to sell only helmets meeting director specifications

Modified motorcycle helmet requirement to apply to all operators and passengers rather than just those under eighteen

DEFINITION

Added specific definition of two-wheeled motorized vehicle including electric bicycles and foot scooters

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 12, 2025

Committee

Reported from TRN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 508) as amended in HD 1, recommending passage on Second Reading and referral to JHA.

lower

Feb 11, 2025

Lower · Passed

The committee on TRN recommend that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Kila, Grandinetti, Evslin, Kitagawa, La Chica, Miyake, Muraoka, Pierick; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Cochran.

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Committee

Referred to TRN, JHA, referral sheet 2

lower

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Introduced and Pass First Reading.

lower

Jan 17, 2025

Introduced

Pending introduction.

lower

10 primary · 0 co-sponsors