CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 3

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2015

RE:    S.B. No. 1049

       S.D. 1

       H.D. 1

       C.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Madam and Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 1049, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ELECTRONIC WASTE RECYCLING,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Prohibit the Department of Health from approving an electronic device manufacturer's recycling plan if the plan provides an electronic device owner with only a mail-back option from returning a covered electronic device to the electronic manufacturer for recycling; and

     (2)  Authorize the approval of the recycling plan of an electronic device manufacturer of exclusively mobile covered electronic devices whose products are voluntarily accepted at no charge by at least fifty retail locations in the State if the plan documents these locations.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the State.  As technology advances and more electronic products are produced and consumed by the public, the generation of electronic waste is expected to increase.  Providing only a mail-back option to return a covered electronic device to the electronic manufacturer for recycling is prohibitively expensive and time consuming for consumers and businesses.  Implementation of this measure will increase electronic waste recycling and further the State's goal of waste reduction.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by inserting an effective date of January 1, 2016.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1049, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1049, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ CHRIS LEE, Co-Chair	____________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair
____________________________ NICOLE E. LOWEN, Co-Chair	____________________________ JOSH GREEN, Co-Chair