State lawmakers are moving bills that aim to punish and deter the use of illegal fireworks.
A pair of fireworks measures passed through conference hearings last week — among the final hurdles for bills going through the state legislative process.
House Bill 550 would allow law enforcement officers to use drones to establish probable cause for fireworks-related arrests. House Bill 1483 would create new and more severe punishments for fireworks violations by repeat offenders and those who cause injuries or death.
The bills reach the end of the session months after the fatal New Year’s Eve fireworks explosion in the Āliamanu area on Oʻahu that killed six people and injured dozens of others.
In written testimony supporting HB 1483, the state Department of the Attorney General said prosecutors have had trouble enforcing fireworks laws in part because of the challenges of “gathering evidence” and “meeting the high burden of proof” to convict those accused of fireworks offenses.
The department said that “only a small number of criminal fireworks cases have been initiated by law enforcement, and an even smaller number have been prosecuted, resulting in a largely ‘ineffective deterrent’ to the distribution and use of illicit fireworks.”
Bruce Albrecht, the director of operations for the company Hawaiʻi Explosives and Pyrotechnics, hopes the rules will add safety measures while not harming legal fireworks operations.
“That way, it doesn't have any negative impact on companies that are licensed and doing commercial public displays. That's what's important to us,” Albrecht said. “We'd like to see this bill pass and give law enforcement some more tools to try to mitigate the issue of illicit fireworks, but in a way that doesn't adversely impact those of us who are doing the right thing, the right way.”
In written testimony, he suggested removing part of HB 1483 that would ban the air delivery of fireworks, as it’s already regulated by the federal government. He also said it would require licensed users to stockpile large amounts of fireworks.
