STAND. COM. REP. NO. 432-06
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2006
RE: H.B. No. 2819
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2006
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 2819 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DECABROMODIPHENYLETHER,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to protect the public health by banning the manufacture, sale, and distribution of a chemical flame retardant, known as decabromodiphenylether.
More specifically, this bill:
(1) Prohibits the manufacture, sale, and distribution of televisions, computers, upholstered indoor furniture, mattresses, and mattress pads containing commercial decabromodiphenylether;
(2) Authorizes the Department of Health to grant certain product exemptions if the Department finds that a safer, technically feasible alternative to commercial decabromodiphenylether is not available;
(3) Requires the Department of Health to submit its findings and recommendations to the 2007 Regular Session of the Legislature on the availability of safer alternatives for the products prohibited from sale by this bill, including any additional evidence of potential harm posed by commercial decabromodiphenylether.
The Environmental Health Fund, Clean Production Action, and the Environmental Working Group testified in strong support of this bill. The Department of Health supports the bill with amendments. The Bromine Science and Environmental Forum testified in opposition.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Deleting the legislative findings in section 1, to leave only the purpose clause; and
(2) Changing the statutory effective date of the prohibition on manufacture and distribution from July 1, 2007, to July 1, 2008.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2819, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2819, H.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,
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____________________________ HERMINA MORITA, Chair |
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