STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1180

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: H.B. No. 1015

H.D. 2

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Energy, Environment, and International Affairs and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing and Transportation and Government Operations, to which was referred H.B. No. 1015, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPOSIT BEVERAGE CONTAINER PROGRAM,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1) Exempt commercial passenger vessels from the integrated solid waste management law with regard to deposit beverage containers for beverages consumed on a commercial passenger vessel, only if the entity operating the commercial passenger vessel has a deposit beverage container recycling plan prescribed or approved by the Department of Health (DOH);

(2) Define "commercial passenger vessel"; and

(3) Clarify when reverse vending machines are required to reject containers if the machine is unable to read the barcode.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Health (DOH), The Legislative Center, and Norwegian Cruise Lines. Comments were received from the Sierra Club Hawaii Chapter.

The current deposit beverage container law (bottle law) does not require distributors to pay a deposit on containers that are exported for consumption outside the State. Testimony indicated that the DOH has difficulty in tracking specific containers used by airlines and cruiseships and determining whether these containers were consumed within or outside of the State. Moreover, the problem is compounded by the fact that many beverage distributors responsible for paying the deposit and container fee to DOH are one or two steps removed from the sale of containers to cruiseships and airlines, often working with purchasing companies rather than directly with the airline or cruiseship.

Your Committees believe that exempting commercial passenger vessels from the requirements of the bottle law, if they have a DOH-approved recycling program, addresses the problems of tracking these containers while maintaining the integrity of the bottle law and continuing to protect Hawaii's environment.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Energy, Environment, and International Affairs and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing and Transportation and Government Operations that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1015, H.D. 2, and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Energy, Environment, and International Affairs and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing and Transportation and Government Operations,

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RON MENOR, Chair

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J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair

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LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair