Kokua Line: Honolulu Police Department reminds officers that many Hawaii driver’s licenses have been extended

Question: If the driver’s licenses are extended (808ne.ws/425kline), why did I get a ticket for driving with an expired license? Auwe! Tell HPD!

Answer: The Honolulu Police Department is reminding officers that Hawaii driver’s licenses, commercial driver’s licenses, instruction permits and ID cards that expired on or after March 16, 2020, remain valid until June 8, 2021, under Gov. David Ige’s 19th emergency proclamation, said Michelle Yu, an HPD spokeswoman.

A notice to that effect was sent departmentwide on April 13, she said, and again last week, after we shared your complaint.

Driving without a valid license was the only offense cited on the ticket you received March 27, you said. At the time, your Hawaii driver’s license, which you have since renewed, carried an expiration date of Feb. 15, 2021 — which is within the extension period and therefore was not actually expired.

You and any other drivers who believe they were cited in error should check eCourt Kokua to see whether a misdemeanor case was initiated — HPD might have caught the mistake before forwarding the case for prosecution. Go to the Judiciary website at courts.state.hi.us/ and click on the eCourt Kokua icon, which will take you to instructions for entering and searching records. You’ll be able to search for your case by name or ticket number, for example.

If you find a pending case against you for driving without a valid license, despite being eligible for the extension, you may call the Honolulu County prosecutor’s office to seek the ticket’s dismissal, said Matthew Dvonch, special counsel to the prosecuting attorney.

Although Yu did confirm that HPD officers should know about and be following the governor’s proclamation, it’s wise for people whose licenses are covered by the proclamation to print out and carry Honolulu County’s proof of extension letter, found out 808ne.ws/extletter. The governor’s full proclamation can be found at 808ne.ws/19thproc.

Q: I got one of those Hawaii Restaurant Cards last year because I was on unemployment. Does that count as taxable income?

A: No, an individual recipient who received such a card to use at Hawaii restaurants would not owe federal or state income taxes on the amount, according to the state Department of Taxation, which covered that topic in a presentation on 2020 tax topics, 808ne.ws/taxtrt.

However, the restaurants that ultimately received the money would be subject to applicable taxes, it said.

Mahalo

I was on my first-ever ride on my first-ever mobility scooter Thursday evening, when I ran out of sidewalk on Kamehameha Highway, on the Diamond Head-side near Kaahumanu Street in Waimalu! I could see ahead that the concrete ended and asphalt began, with a telephone pole in the middle of it, but I expected a transition. There was none. I tried to go around the pole. My back wheel dropped off the curb. I managed to free my scooter from the curb, and continued up the highway shoulder. Mahalo to the people in the yard on my right who called out to see if I was OK. Mahalo nui loa to the couple in the truck, who not only stopped to see if I was all right, but followed me up the shoulder of the road until I got to the crossing and was able to get back on the sidewalk. Whoever you are, God bless you in the biggest ways possible! — Gratefully, Tana-Lee Rebhan-Kang

P.S. Auwe to the City and County of Honolulu, or the state of Hawaii, or whoever is responsible for the property.

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.