Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2232 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to ensure that properties that are contaminated through illegal drug manufacturing are cleaned up in a prompt and efficient manner so they may be safely occupied again.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, the Department of the Attorney General, the Department of Public Safety, the City and County of Honolulu Police Department, and The American Industrial Hygiene Association, Hawaii Section.

Your Committee finds that illegal drug manufacturing sites are hazardous to public health. The toxic chemicals and residue that are left behind are very hazardous and may pose health risks for weeks and even months. Thirteen other states have adopted formal clean-up requirements or guidelines. Your Committee further finds that this decontamination process must be performed by qualified contractors and monitored by professionals trained in decontamination.

Your Committee amended this measure to adopt the recommendations from the Department of Health that, within ninety days of enactment of this measure, the department should adopt interim procedures and guidance to address the environmental emergency and long-term decontamination and clean-up, and that the department should evaluate the requirements for establishing a statewide program to clean up properties that were used for illegal drug manufacturing.

Your Committee additionally amended this measure to provide that owners of known properties involved in the unauthorized manufacturing or storage of illegal drugs and their precursor hazardous materials shall be subject to these interim procedures until the department can develop a comprehensive and permanent program dealing with the decontamination and remediation of illegal drug manufacturing sites.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2232, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2232, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs.