STAND. COM. REP. NO.386-02

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: H.B. No. 657

H.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection, to which was referred H.B. No. 657 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATED TO GLASS RECYCLING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to encourage and support the glass recycling programs of the counties by:

(1) Increasing the advance disposal fee from 1.5 to 2 cents per glass container paid by glass importers and distributed to the counties; and

(2) Deleting the criteria by which the Legislature sets the advance disposal fee.

The Department of Health (DOH), Office of Environment Quality Control, and Maui Disposal submitted testimony in support of the bill. The Office of the Mayor of Maui supported the intent of the measure. The Tax Foundation of Hawaii and Aloha Glass Recycling, Inc., commented on the bill. Anheuser Busch Companies and Hawaii Food Industry Association opposed the measure.

Your Committee finds that the county glass recovery programs have been very successful in diverting glass from landfills. The recovery rate of glass in the State is about 33 percent, potentially exceeding the national average of 24 percent.

 

 

Some counties are in need of increased funding to increase or maintain the effectiveness of their glass recovery programs.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Making the requirements for the county glass recovery program more flexible;

(2) Exempting the revenues from the advance disposal fee deposited into a special account in the Environmental Management Special Fund from the central service expenses under section 36-27, Hawaii Revised Statutes;

(3) Amending the termination date of the 1.5 cent advance disposal fee from August 31, 2001, to August 31, 2002;

(4) Amending the effective date of this bill from September 1, 2001, to September 1, 2002; and

(5) Making other technical, nonsubstantive amendments to conform with drafting conventions.

To address concerns relating to the disposition of the advance disposal fee, your Committee has requested information from DOH regarding the expenditures, disbursements, and a comprehensive review of the programs on a state and county level.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 657, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 657, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Energy and Environmental Protection,

 

____________________________

HERMINA M. MORITA, Chair