STAND. COM. REP. NO. 449-18

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2018

RE: H.B. No. 2718

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 2718 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Accounting and General Services to maintain a database detailing the amount of moneys expended in each county for the disposal of polystyrene products by state departments and agencies that incur costs for collecting or disposing of polystyrene products; and

(2) Beginning January 1, 2020, require the counties to reimburse the general fund for costs to the State for cleaning up and disposing of polystyrene products in the respective counties.

The Oahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawaii, Cuddle Party, Surfrider Foundation O‘ahu Chapter, Sierra Club of Hawai‘i, Kokua Hawaii Foundation, and a few individuals supported this measure. The Department of Environmental Management of the County of Hawaii and an individual opposed this measure. The Department of Accounting and General Services provided comments.

Your Committee has amended this measure by exempting counties that have enacted ordinances significantly restricting the use of polystyrene products from being tracked by the Department of Accounting and General Services' database for reimbursement to the general fund for costs incurred for cleaning up and disposing of polystyrene products.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2718, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2718, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection,

____________________________

CHRIS LEE, Chair