HB 537 Hawaii House · 2026 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)

Issues: ✓ Transportation

Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 17, 2025 Last action Dec 8, 2025

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What changed between versions

HB537 → HB537_HD1 · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill significantly tightens helmet laws for motorcycles and electric scooters while clarifying rules for rental vehicles. It removes previous exceptions that allowed riders to skip helmets when renting mopeds or scooters, mandates helmets for all motorcycle riders regardless of age, and requires helmets for all electric foot scooter renters. The effective date is set to July 1, 3000, likely indicating a placeholder for future legislative action.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of mandatory helmet use to include all motorcycle operators and passengers (previously age-restricted) and all electric foot scooter renters (previously age-restricted), while removing exemptions for rental vehicles.

REQUIREMENT

Removed the exception allowing operators and passengers of rented mopeds or motor scooters to ride without helmets.

Added a mandate requiring all operators and passengers of motorcycles to wear safety helmets, removing previous age-based exemptions.

Added a mandate requiring all renters or lessees of electric foot scooters to wear safety helmets regardless of their age.

TIMELINE

Set the effective date of the Act to July 1, 3000, which appears to be a placeholder date.

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