STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2533

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2709

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2709, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE PRODUCTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to strengthen the law that requires the Department of Education to give first preference to the purchase and use of environmentally sensitive cleaning and maintenance products.

     Specifically, the measure requires the Department to give preference to products that have been approved by the Design for the Environment Program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, and the EcoLogo Program administered by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, Inc., along with the existing preference for products approved by the Green Seal program.

Your Committee received no written comments on this measure.

     Your Committee finds that preferring environmentally-sensitive products for use in Hawaii's public schools will contribute to the health of Hawaii's natural environment as well as the safety of its students.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2709, S.D. 1, and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair