HONOLULU

June 20, 2003

STATEMENT OF OBJECTIONS TO SENATE BILL NO. 319

Honorable Members

Twenty-Second Legislature

State of Hawaii

Pursuant to Section 16 of Article III of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii, I am returning herewith, without my approval, Senate Bill No. 319, entitled "A Bill for an Act Relating to Counties."

The purpose of this bill is The bill is objectionable because it is unnecessary and goes against the concept of home rule.

According to the 2000 census, the City and County of Honolulu is the only county that would be required to comply with this bill. Yet, Honolulu is also the only county that currently has a mandatory food waste recycling program, pursuant to section 9-3.5, Revised Ordinances of Honolulu.

Regulation of food waste removal is best left to the counties so that the people most directly affected by such regulation can determine for themselves how best to implement it. The City and County of Honolulu testified against this bill because it prefers its own food waste recycling program to the one that would be forced upon it by this bill.

For the foregoing reasons, I am returning Senate Bill No. 319 without my approval.

Respectfully,

LINDA LINGLE

Governor of Hawaii