STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2715

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2511

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2511, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to reduce the adverse impact of single-use checkout bag waste on Hawaii's precious and unique natural environment.

 

Specifically, this measure establishes an offset fee for the distribution of single-use checkout bags and directs that fee revenues be used to fund programs to mitigate the damaging effects of single-use checkout bags by protecting watersheds and increasing resilience to climate change.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources; Conservation Council for Hawaii; League of Women Voters of Hawaii; Times Supermarket and Big Save Supermarket; Retail Merchants of Hawaii; West Maui Mountains Watershed Partnership; Coordinating Group on Alien Species; Hawaii Food Industry Association; The Trust for Public Land; Surfrider Foundation; Safeway; Maui Invasive Species Committee; The Nature Conservancy; and twenty-four individuals.  Your Committee received written comments on this measure from Tax Foundation of Hawaii; and Hawaii Conservation Alliance.

 

Your Committee finds that excessive use of single-use checkout bags presents an unnecessary hazard to the natural environment due to the polluting fossil fuel usually used to manufacture these bags and the improper disposal of bags that often pollutes streams and coral reefs and strangles and starves marine animals.  Your Committee recognizes that the economy of the State depends in large part on the pristine natural environment, which draws visitors from around the world.  Your Committee further finds that this measure places Hawaii on par with several countries, as well as international and domestic cities, that have successfully implemented laws similar to this measure that have resulted in a significant reduction in single-use checkout bag usage, with associated fees expended on environmental protection programs.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting the unnecessary reference to "independent contractors" in the definition of "business";

 

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2511, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2511, S.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

 

 

 

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair