STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2494

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2368

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2368 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ENVIRONMENT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

(1) Require the Department of Health to conduct a statewide needs assessment to inform the future establishment of an extended producer responsibility program for packaging waste; and

(2) Make an appropriation to the Department of Health to conduct the assessment.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the County of Kauaʻi Department of Public Works, Hawaii Environmental Change Agents-Solid Waste Task Force, Hawaiʻi Reef Ocean Coalition, Retail Merchants of Hawaii, Product Stewardship Institute, Zero Waste Kauai, Just Zero, one member of the Kauai County Council, and five individuals.

Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from Recycle Hawaii, American Institute for Packaging and the Environment, Flexible Packaging Association, Huli Pac, American Beverage Association, and two individuals.

Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Health, Chamber of Sustainable Commerce, Foodservice Packaging Institute, and the Consumer Technology Association.

Your Committees find that the State is committed to reducing waste and conserving resources through advancing source reduction, reuse, and recycling; however, additional resources, facilities, and services are needed to achieve resource conservation and waste reduction targets. This measure will require the Department of Health to conduct a needs assessment to complement its other efforts pursuant to its Integrated Solid Waste Management planning process and minimize any redundancies to streamline the State's waste management system.

Your Committees have amended this measure by making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

Your Committees note that this measure contains an unspecified appropriation amount. Should your Committee on Ways and Means choose to deliberate on this measure, your Committees respectfully request that it consider inserting an appropriation amount of $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2024-2025, pursuant to the testimony your Committees received from the Department of Health.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2368, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2368, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Human Services and Agriculture and Environment,

________________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

________________________________ JOY A. SAN BUENAVENTURA, Chair