STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1030-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 1688

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 1688, H.D. 1, entitled:

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

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require and appropriate funds for the Department of Health to conduct a statewide needs assessment and establish an advisory council to determine what would be needed to transition to a more circular system with less waste generation, more reuse, and an extended producer responsibility program for packaging materials and paper products.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the County of Hawaiʻi Department of Environmental Management; one member of the Hawaiʻi County Council; Mr. K's Recycle & Redemption Center; Hawaiʻi Reef and Ocean Coalition; Climate Protectors Hawaiʻi; Just Zero; Product Stewardship Institute; Hawaii Environmental Change Agents Solid Waste Task Force; Zero Waste Hawaiʻi Island; Zero Waste Kauai; and numerous individuals. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health; Retail Merchants of Hawaii; Consumer Technology Association; American Beverage Association; Foodservice Packaging Institute; and one individual.

Your Committee has amended this measure by deleting the definition of "producer" as the needs assessment is required to consider an appropriate definition of "producer" for an extended producer responsibility program in the State.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1688, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1688, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair