STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1401-26

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2026

RE: S.B. No. 2591

S.D. 1

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 Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 2591, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO NOISE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a two-year pilot program to prohibit the operation of privately owned and operated refuse collection vehicles within five hundred feet of any area zoned for mixed-use or residential apartment use in Waikiki between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from numerous individuals.

Your Committee finds that excessive early morning and evening noise from refuse collection vehicles can negatively affect sleep quality, stress levels, and overall health, particularly for residents living in dense urban areas. Your Committee further finds that Waikiki's concentration of mixed‑use and residential apartment zoning places residents in close proximity to commercial refuse collection activity, increasing the likelihood of adverse health impacts. This measure is intended to assess whether time-of-day restrictions can reduce noise-related health concerns while preserving essential refuse collection services.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Placing the prohibition on the operation of refuse collection vehicles under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health;

(2) Specifying that a refuse collection vehicle means any industrial vehicle having a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 20,000 pounds that is used to collect and transport garbage or other refuse; 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 Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2591, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2591, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

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

____________________________

GREGG TAKAYAMA, Chair