Hawaii Revised Statutes
291E. Use of Intoxicants While Operating a Vehicle
291E-38 Administrative hearing; procedure; decision.

§291E-38 Administrative hearing; procedure; decision. (a) If the director administratively revokes the respondent's license and privilege to operate a vehicle after the administrative review, the respondent may request an administrative hearing to review the decision within six days of the date the administrative review decision is mailed. If the request for hearing is received by the director within six days of the date the decision is mailed, the hearing shall be scheduled to commence no later than:
(1) Twenty-five days from the date the notice of administrative revocation was issued in a case involving an alcohol related offense; or
(2) Thirty-nine days from the date the notice of administrative revocation was issued in a case involving a drug related offense.
The director may continue the hearing only as provided in subsection (j).
(b) The hearing shall be held at a place designated by the director, as close to the location where the notice of administrative revocation was issued as practical.
(c) The respondent may be represented by counsel and, if the respondent is under the age of eighteen, must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
(d) The director shall conduct the hearing and have authority to:
(1) Administer oaths and affirmations;
(2) Examine witnesses and take testimony;
(3) Receive and determine the relevance of evidence;
(4) Issue subpoenas;
(5) Regulate the course and conduct of the hearing; and
(6) Make a final ruling.
(e) The director shall affirm the administrative revocation only if the director determines that:
(1) There existed reasonable suspicion to stop the vehicle, the vehicle was stopped at an intoxicant control roadblock established and operated in compliance with sections 291E-19 and 291E-20, or the person was tested pursuant to section 291E-21;
(2) There existed probable cause to believe that the respondent operated the vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant; and
(3) The evidence proves by a preponderance that:
(A) The respondent operated the vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant; or
(B) The respondent operated the vehicle and refused to submit to a breath, blood, or urine test after being informed:
(i) That the person may refuse to submit to testing in compliance with section 291E-11; and
(ii) Of the sanctions of this part and then asked if the person still refuses to submit to a breath, blood, or urine test in compliance with the requirements of section 291E-15.
(f) The respondent's prior alcohol and drug enforcement contacts shall be entered into evidence.
(g) The sworn statements provided in section 291E-36 shall be admitted into evidence. The director shall consider the sworn statements in the absence of the law enforcement officer or other person. Upon written notice to the director, no later than five days prior to the hearing, that the respondent wishes to examine a law enforcement officer or other person who made a sworn statement, the director shall issue a subpoena for the officer or other person to appear at the hearing. Personal service upon the law enforcement officer or other person who made a sworn statement shall be made no later than forty-eight hours prior to the hearing time. If the officer or other person cannot appear, the officer or other person at the discretion of the director, may testify by telephone.
(h) The hearing shall be recorded in a manner to be determined by the director.
(i) The director's decision shall be rendered in writing and mailed to the respondent, or to the parent or guardian of the respondent if the respondent is under the age of eighteen, no later than five days after the hearing is concluded. If the decision is to reverse the administrative revocation, the director shall return the respondent's license, along with a certified statement that administrative revocation proceedings have been terminated. If the decision sustains the administrative revocation, the director shall mail to the respondent a written decision indicating the duration of the administrative revocation and any other conditions or restrictions as may be imposed pursuant to section 291E-41.
(j) For good cause shown, the director may grant a continuance either of the commencement of the hearing or of a hearing that has already commenced. If a continuance is granted at the request of the director, the director shall extend the validity of the temporary permit, unless otherwise prohibited, for a period not to exceed the period of the continuance. If a continuance is granted at the request of the respondent, the director shall not extend the validity of the temporary permit. For purposes of this section, a continuance means a delay in the commencement of the hearing or an interruption of a hearing that has commenced, other than for recesses during the day or at the end of the day or week. The absence from the hearing of a law enforcement officer or other person, upon whom personal service of a subpoena has been made as set forth in subsection (g), constitutes good cause for a continuance.
(k) The director may grant a special motor vehicle registration, pursuant to section 291E-48, to a qualified household member or a co-owner of any motor vehicle upon determination that:
(1) The person is completely dependent on the motor vehicle for the necessities of life; and
(2) At the time of the application for a special motor vehicle registration, the respondent does not have a valid ignition interlock permit.
The special motor vehicle registration shall not be valid for use by the respondent.
(l) If the respondent fails to appear at the hearing, or if a respondent under the age of eighteen fails to appear with a parent or guardian, administrative revocation shall take effect for the period and under the conditions established by the director in the administrative review decision issued by the director under section 291E-37. [L 2000, c 189, pt of §23; am L 2001, c 157, §19; am L 2002, c 113, § §4 to 6; am L 2006, c 64, §7 and c 201, §4; am L 2010, c 166, §14; am L 2012, c 327, §15; am L 2021, c 216, §3]
Case Notes
Inasmuch as the administrative driver's license revocation office hearings are quasi-judicial in nature, due process requires that the hearings be public. 104 H. 483, 92 P.3d 993 (2004).
Due process rights not violated by administrative driver's license revocation hearing procedure where defendant was afforded a hearing where witnesses were called and defendant was represented by counsel, and hearing office advised counsel of the procedure that hearing officer was going to follow. 108 H. 31, 116 P.3d 673 (2005).
The administrative director of the courts (director) may not, in an administrative hearing filed pursuant to this section, consider an offense occurring after the §291E-31 notice of administrative revocation has been issued, as a basis for increasing an administrative revocation period already determined on administrative review by the director under § §291E-37 and 291E-41. 108 H. 350, 120 P.3d 249 (2005).
Where effect of administrative driver's license revocation office's default decision under this section was to deprive petitioner of driver's license, a constitutionally protected property interest, the risk of erroneous deprivation of this interest through the procedures the office used was great, and outweighed the government's interest, including the function of the office and the fiscal and administrative burdens that any additional or substitute procedural requirement would entail, procedural due process right denied. 110 H. 407, 133 P.3d 1199 (2006).

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