Hawaii Says Aloha to New Bills that could Impact Auto Repairers

Lawmakers in the Hawaii State Legislature have advanced two bills that could impact automotive repair businesses.

• Senate Bill (SB) 327 passed in an amended version in a House committee on a 6-0 vote. ASA is concerned that the amended version could exclude many repair businesses from benefiting from the $20/hour reimbursement from the state for training and supervising apprentices because it would only allow private sector employers to offer on-the-job training in public sector projects. The previous version also allowed anyone with only a high school diploma and not enrolled in a college or university to participate. The new version would that group’s eligibility to only those who received their high school diploma within a year from the day they apply for the apprenticeship.
• SB 1216 would make it illegal to install a muffler, including but not limited to a cut-out, bypass, or similar device, that will noticeably increase the noise emitted by a motor vehicle above factory condition. It passed the state Senate 20-5 and, more recently, advanced 9-1 out of committee in the House.