HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	167
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting a study on the feasibility of installing at the state capitol water dispensers designed to accommodate the refilling of reusable containers.

WHEREAS, the Legislature believes in the importance of promoting a healthy lifestyle for those who work within the Hawaii State Capitol, as well as members of the general public participating in the legislative process; and

WHEREAS, The Huffington Post reported in 2013 that 80 percent of the approximately 30,000,000,000 plastic water bottles bought in the United States ended up in landfills, and that 17,000,000 barrels of oil were needed each year to create the bottles; and

WHEREAS, the Mayo Clinic has reported that the Food and Drug Administration's standards for bottled water and the Environmental Protection Agency's standards for tap water are similar, which ensures that both types of water are safe to drink; additionally, bottled and tap water have proven nearly identical in comparison taste tests by consumers; and

WHEREAS, reusable water bottles are a simple, cost-effective way to work toward curbing our dependence on plastic; and

WHEREAS, the State Capitol hosts more than twenty thousand individual visitors each year, including tourists and participants in the legislative process, as well as several hundred Capitol employees; and

WHEREAS, water dispensers that make refilling reusable containers easy and convenient for Capitol staff and visitors will encourage reduced consumption of disposable, plastic beverage containers and demonstrate the State's commitment to conserving natural resources and reducing waste; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Accounting and General Services is requested to study the feasibility of installing within the State Capitol additional water dispensers designed to accommodate the refilling of reusable containers and to consider installing such water dispensers in state facilities such as the State Capitol to promote health and well-being; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Accounting and General Services shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation, if any, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2017; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and the Comptroller.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

State Capitol; Water Dispensers