STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2372

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2612

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No. 2612 entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Establish a reusable utensil pilot project in Department of Education schools on Molokai;

(2) Require the Department of Education to report to the Legislature on the feasibility of statewide implementation; and

(3) Appropriate funds for the pilot project.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Kualapuu Public Conversion Charter School, Ho‘okāko‘o Corporation, Kilohana Elementary School, and twelve individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that single-use plastics are a serious threat to the State's environmental and economic sustainability. Your Committee further finds that the Department of Education contributes to the State's annual plastic waste through its use of single-use plastic utensils in school cafeterias, which is contrary to the State's sustainability goals.

Accordingly, your Committee finds that this measure will help reduce plastic waste, pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production, transportation, recycling, and disposal of single-use plastics by implementing a pilot program to explore and study the use of reusable utensils in Department of Education schools.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing the requirement that the Department of Education adopt rules for purposes of the pilot project; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2612, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2612, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

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

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MICHELLE N. KIDANI, Chair