CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 124
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2005
RE: S.B. No. 212
S.D. 2
H.D. 2
C.D. 1
Honorable Robert Bunda
President of the Senate
Twenty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2005
State of Hawaii
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2005
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 212, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENVIRONMENT,"
having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.
The purpose of this bill is to provide a Deposit Beverage Container Redemption Center (Redemption Center) tax credit of up to $50,000 per year for qualifying costs incurred and paid by an eligible taxpayer during the taxable year to purchase, lease, or operate a redemption center, to direct the Department of Health (DOH) to establish a grant program to provide a maximum grant of $125,000 per organization to assist in developing redemption centers, and to appropriate funds out of the Deposit Beverage Container Deposit Special Fund (Special Fund) to support the tax credit and grant program.
Your Committee on Conference, upon careful consideration, has amended this bill by:
(1) Replacing data in the legislative findings section with updated data;
(2) Acknowledging in the findings section that another factor contributing to the low public participation rate in the redemption program is the lack of infrastructure supporting the overburdened certified redemption centers and recyclers;
(3) Changing the purpose of the bill to provide a rebate for the cost of a reverse vending machine purchased by the dealer, and to authorize DOH to solicit requests for proposals to increase opportunities for redemption and improve the recycling infrastructure to handle the growth of the deposit beverage container program;
(4) Replacing the tax credit and grant programs with a Reverse Vending Machine Rebate Program (Rebate Program) and Redemption Center and Recycling Infrastructure Improvement Program (Infrastructure Improvement Program) to be administered by DOH, and appropriating funds from the Special Fund to support these programs;
(5) Requiring DOH to annually report to the Legislature on the Rebate Program and the Infrastructure Improvement Program;
(6) Changing the effective date to upon its approval, subject to a repeal date of June 30, 2006, with certain exceptions; and
(7) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for style, clarity, and consistency.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 212, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 212, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:
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ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE |
ON THE PART OF THE SENATE |
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____________________________ HERMINA MORITA, Co-Chair |
____________________________ RUSSELL S. KOKUBUN, Chair |
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____________________________ EZRA R. KANOHO, Co-Chair |
____________________________ J. KALANI ENGLISH, Co-Chair |
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____________________________ PONO CHONG, Co-Chair |
____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Co-Chair |
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