STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1028-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   H.B. No. 2504

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 2504, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LIGHTING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to encourage safe and efficient energy practices with respect to lighting by:

     (1)  Beginning January 1, 2010, prohibiting the sale of general purpose lights containing levels of hazardous substances that would be prohibited under the European Union's RoHS Directive, except for certain linear fluorescent lamps;

     (2)  Beginning January 1, 2014, requiring the Department of Health (DOH), in consultation with companies that manufacture the lamps, to determine whether the linear fluorescent lamps should also be prohibited;

     (3)  Prohibiting the sale of general purpose lights that do not meet certain energy efficiency standards; and

     (4)  Before January 1, 2011, requiring the Director of Health to develop a statewide program for the recycling of all fluorescent lamps.

     The Department of Education, Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter, Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., Maui Electric Company, and Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc., supported this bill.  DOH opposed this measure.  The Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism submitted comments.

     Your Committee received proposed amendments from the Committee on Judiciary with the concurrence of the Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection.

     In light of the proposed amendments, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the existing provisions that establish a criminal penalty and a specified range of fines for violations of the energy efficiency standards for general purpose lights;

     (2)  In lieu of item (1), specifying that a person, firm, company, association, corporation, or other organization that violates the provisions establishing energy efficiency standards for general purpose lights shall be subject to an unspecified range of fines; provided that fines shall not be levied against an employee who does not have an ownership or management interest in the enterprise; and

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for style, clarity, and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2504, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2504, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair