STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1634

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

RE:   S.B. No. 703

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 703, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SOLID WASTE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure as received by your Committee, is to increase the solid waste management surcharge and clarify that the surcharge applies to solid waste disposed of within the State except for ash from waste-to-energy facilities and waste disposed of at waste-to-energy facilities that accept less than 150,000 tons of waste annually.

     For the purposes of a public hearing on this measure, your Committee circulated S.B. No. 703, S.D. 1, H.D. 1 (Proposed Draft), and notified the public that it would be accepting testimony on the Proposed Draft.  The purpose of the Proposed Draft is to exempt from the Hawaii Public Procurement Code contracts for the extraction and capture of methane generated from municipal waste for the purpose of conversion into natural gas.

Hawaii Gas commented on the Proposed Draft.  The League of Women Voters of Hawaii and General Contractors Association of Hawaii opposed the Proposed Draft.  

     Your Committee considered the merits of both S.B. No. 703 S.D.1, as received by your Committee, and the Proposed Draft, and upon careful consideration, adopted the Proposed Draft.  Your Committee further amended the Proposed Draft by:

     (1)  Amending the preamble to more accurately describe the purpose of this measure; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2030, to encourage further discussion.

     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 S.B. No. 703, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 703, S.D. 1, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

SYLVIA LUKE, Chair