HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	107
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE MAYOR OF HONOLULU, COUNTY REFUSE DIVISION, AND ALL OTHER RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS TO TAKE ALL NECESSARY MEASURES TO CURTAIL THE PROLIFERATION OF GROCERY CART SETTLEMENTS.

     WHEREAS, one of the fundamental responsibilities of democratic government as enumerated by the U.S. Constitution's Preamble is to "promote the general welfare"; and

     WHEREAS, the Legislature of the State of Hawaii recognizes that promoting the general welfare includes maintaining a clean, attractive community; and

     WHEREAS, in recent years, several communities across the State have been plagued by the presence of abandoned or stolen shopping carts transformed into grocery cart settlements, a type of zombified shopping cart which has been converted from an instrument of consumerism into a mobile platform for internally displaced persons and filled with various accoutrements; and

     WHEREAS, though the Legislature recognizes that unfortunate circumstances can often result in an individual becoming displaced from a home, it also recognizes that the presence of grocery cart settlements are an eyesore to the community as well as a possible vector for the spread of disease and insect infestation; and

     WHEREAS, certain communities such as Lower Waipahu and portions of Downtown Honolulu have become degraded by grocery cart settlements, such to the point that areas have become infested with these former shopping carts, resulting in citizen disgust and displeasure with their continued existence; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the Mayor of Honolulu, the County Refuse Division, and all other relevant stakeholders are requested to take all necessary measures to curtail the proliferation of grocery cart settlements, including, but not limited to:

     (a)  Finding ways to quickly and efficiently dispose of             unclaimed or damaged shopping carts;

     (b)  Developing procedures and protocols for the clearing               of established grocery cart settlements;

     (c)  Researching ways to discourage theft or conversion of              shopping carts into grocery cart settlements; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the County Refuse Division is requested to report to the Legislature not later than 28 days prior to the convening of the 2009 Regular Session on its recommendations regarding removal of grocery cart settlements; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the State of Hawaii, the Director of the Department of Health, the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, and the County Refuse Division.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Grocery Cart Proliferation Reduction