STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: H.B. No. 1636

H.D. 1

Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2026

State of Hawaii

Madame:

Your Committee on Economic Development & Technology, to which was referred H.B. No. 1636 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SHOPPING CARTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Require every business establishment that provides a shopping cart to mark each cart with identifying information;

(2) Authorize a county to impound and dispose of a shopping cart and assess impound fees, storage fees, and disposal fees under certain circumstances; and

(3) Authorize the counties to return a shopping cart, in lieu of impoundment, to the business establishment, subject to certain fines.

Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Hawaii Food Industry Association; KTA Super Stores; and Retail Merchants of Hawaii.

Your Committee finds that there has been an increase in incidents of shopping carts being removed from local businesses and abandoned in public spaces. Your Committee further finds that the burden and costs of cleanup for these abandoned shopping carts often fall on the counties. This measure seeks to reduce incidents of shopping cart abandonment by authorizing counties to impound and dispose of shopping carts, assess fees, and create policies and programs related to shopping cart abandonment.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Prohibiting counties from assessing fees or fines if a shopping cart is removed from the premises without a business establishment's consent;

(2) Authorizing counties to establish policies for managing and impounding vandalized shopping carts;

(3) Requiring counties to establish buyback programs for impounded shopping carts;

(4) Changing the effective date to July 1, 3000, to encourage further discussion; and

(5) 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 Economic Development & Technology that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1636, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1636, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Water & Land.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Economic Development & Technology,

____________________________

GREGGOR ILAGAN, Chair