STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2627

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 3144

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2020

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 3144 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO GRANTS FOR LOCAL RECYCLING FACILITIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Office of Solid Waste Management to establish a recycling facility grant program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health, Surfrider Oahu, EcoTipping Points Project, Our Revolution Hawaii, Pono Hawai‘i Initiative, and four individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from Department of the Attorney General and Maui Chamber of Commerce.

Your Committee finds that investment in local recycling facilities is immediately necessary to lessen the human impact on Hawaii's natural environment and mitigate the effects of the climate crisis. Landfill capacity is rapidly decreasing, even after creating mitigation measures like exportation and incineration. This measure incentivizes the development of new recycling, bioconversion, or composting businesses within the State of Hawaii.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Placing the recycling facility grant program into the Hawaii Revised Statutes, rather than the Session Laws of Hawaii;

(2) Inserting grant standards;

(3) Appropriating an unspecified amount of funds into and out of the environmental management special fund;

(4) Authorizing the appropriation out of the environmental management special fund for implementation of the recycling facility grant program and one full-time contract specialist position; and

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

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3144, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3144, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Agriculture and Environment,

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MIKE GABBARD, Chair