STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1577

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 1351

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1351, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE ELECTRONIC DEVICE RECYCLING FUND,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to support the efforts of the counties in collecting electronics for recycling.

 

     Specifically, this measure:

 

     (1)  Authorizes the Director of Health to expend moneys from the electronic device recycling fund to support county electronics collections; and

 

     (2)  Appropriates funds to reimburse the counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui for expenses incurred during 2015 and 2016 related to collection services associated with handling and collecting electronic devices for recycling.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Mayor of the County of Maui, Mayor of the County of Hawaii, Department of Environmental Management of the County of Hawaii, Consumer Technology Association, and one concerned individual.

 

     Your Committee received written comments on this measure from the Department of Health.

 

     Your Committee finds that recycling electronic devices helps to prevent toxins from leaching into the environment and harming the environment and human health while also conserving space in landfills and allowing valuable resources contained in electronic devices, such as copper, gold, and aluminum, to be reclaimed for future use.  Your Committee also finds that the counties engage in electronic device collection but do not receive moneys from the electronic device recycling fund.  This measure allows the Department of Health to provide funding to the counties to ensure the continuation of the electronic device recycling program.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Adding an appropriation of general funds for deposit into the electronic device recycling fund;

 

     (2)  Providing that funds appropriated from the electronic device recycling fund, rather than general funds, be used to reimburse the counties of Hawaii, Kauai, and Maui for collection services associated with handling and collecting electronic devices for recycling;

 

     (3)  Specifically authorizing the Director of Health to make the reimbursements to the counties; and

 

     (4)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure.

 

     The amendments described in paragraphs (1) and (2) are intended to make the provisions of this measure comport with its title.

 

     Your Committee respectfully requests the Department of Health to provide guidance to the Conference Committee on this measure with regard to the appropriation amount that would be sufficient for the purposes of this measure.

 

     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 H.B. No. 1351, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1351, H.D. 1, S.D. 2.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair