STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 1058
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: H.B. No. 918
H.D. 2
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 918, H.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LABELING,"
begs leave to report as follows:
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Environmental Management of the County of Hawaiʻi; Hawaiʻi Association of REALTORS; and Hawaiʻi Reef and Ocean Coalition. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health; Retail Merchants of Hawaii; and Household & Commercial Products Association.
Your Committee finds that the accumulation of disposable wipes, even those labeled as "flushable", in wastewater treatment systems is a major contributor to blockages in sewer systems. This can lead to sewage spills, increased maintenance costs, and environmental hazards. This measure would establish clear labeling requirements for non-flushable wipes and impose civil penalties to ensure compliance by manufacturers and retailers.
Your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Removing the Department of Health from language relating to the registration and approval of manufacturers of covered products by the United States Environmental Protection Agency;
(2) Deleting language that would have established penalties under this measure; and
(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 918, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 918, H.D. 2.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs,
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____________________________ DAVID A. TARNAS, Chair |
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