STAND. COM. REP. NO 131

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1150

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water and Land, to which was referred S.B. No. 1150 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PRESERVING CORAL REEFS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to prohibit the use of sunscreens and cosmetics containing oxybenzone at beaches in Hawaii or in the ocean.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Democratic Party of Hawai‘i, Conservation Council of Hawai‘i, Nature Conservancy Hawai‘i, For the Fishes, Malama O Puna, Animal Rights Hawai‘i, Hawaii Fishing and Boating Association, Eco Tipping Points Project, Haereticus Environmental Laboratory, Sarah's Sweet Scrubs, and seven individuals.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Personal Care Products Council and Consumer Healthcare Products Association.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources and one individual.

     Your Committee heard varied testimony on this measure.  Hawaii would be the first state to enact a ban on oxybenzone-based products, and the science regarding the possibly damaging effects of oxybenzone on coral reefs is a work in progress.  Furthermore, there are concerns that enforcement of the ban would prove challenging, and the use of sunscreen overall should be encouraged for personal health and well-being.  However, Hawaii's marine environment and natural resources serve as a cultural, socioeconomic, and scientific foundation of our islands, and should be protected and preserved.  Your Committee finds that this measure deserves further attention and study as it advances through the legislative process.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Inserting an exception for prescription sunscreen, sunblock, and cosmetics; and

(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water and Land that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1150, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1150, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary and Labor.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water and Land,

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair