CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 225

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2025

RE: H.B. No. 750

H.D. 2

S.D. 1

C.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Madam and Sir:

Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 750, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

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

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Amend the authorized uses of the Deposit Beverage Container Deposit Special Fund to include evaluating and promoting recyclable market development activities;

(2) Require the Department of Health to conduct a statewide needs assessment to determine what will be needed to reduce waste generation, increase reuse, improve recycling collection services, and expand local processing of materials through an extended producer responsibility program for packaging materials and paper products;

(3) Establish an advisory council to review the draft needs assessment and propose recommendations throughout the assessment process;

(4) Require the Department of Health to hold a public hearing on the draft needs assessment and complete and submit the needs assessment to the Legislature by December 31, 2028;

(5) Allow manufacturers to coordinate activities directly related to the recycling of covered electronic devices;

(6) Expand the scope of covered electronic devices to include electronic device peripherals and certain legacy devices;

(7) Allow manufacturers to provide free collection service locations and collection events to satisfy their recycling obligations; and

(8) Appropriate funds out of the Deposit Beverage Container Deposit Special Fund for the needs assessment.

Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing provisions related to amending the authorized uses of the Deposit Beverage Container Special Fund, allowing manufacturers to coordinate certain activitites, expanding the scope of covered electronic devices, and allowing manufacturers to provide free collection service locations and collection events to satisfy their recycling obligations;

(2) Clarifying that the Department of Health may contract for professional services to conduct the needs assessment;

(3) Amending the composition of the advisory council;

(4) Changing the deadline for the submission of the needs assessment from December 31, 2028, to December 31, 2027;

(5) Changing the appropriation amount to $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2025-2026, adding an appropriation of $1,500,000 for fiscal year 2026-2027, and changing the means of financing from the Deposit Beverage Container Deposit Special Fund to general revenues;

(6) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2025; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 750, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 750, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ TROY N. HASHIMOTO Chair	____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN Co-Chair
____________________________ MIKE GABBARD Co-Chair	____________________________ SCOT Z. MATAYOSHI Co-Chair
____________________________ GLENN WAKAI Co-Chair	____________________________ JENNA TAKENOUCHI Co-Chair