Pass Hawaii’s Statewide Bag Bill
Hawaii stands poised to pass the nation's first statewide Bag Bill (HB2483). The bill would reduce the consumption of single-use plastic and paper bags through a small fee, and revenues from the fees would help fund watershed protection. Over the last four years, the coalition of supporters has grown to include the Governor, the heads of many government agencies, environmental groups, retailers, grocery stores, schools and thousands of people like you. Although the bill has passed through the Senate and the House, certain House leaders are still blocking the measure. So we need folks to call and let them know that this bill has broad support across Hawaii and the country. Read on for more info on how you can help.
- Chapter:
- State: HI
- Country: USA
- Theme: Rise Above Plastics
- Launch Date: January 20 2011
- Completion Date: May 2012
Please call Hawaii leaders Rep. Calvin Say (808-586-6100) and Rep. Marcus Oshiro (808-586-6200) to say it's time to pass the Bag Bill.
You can call their office and say, "My name is ________ from _______, and I'm calling to ask you to support HB2483 (the Bag Bill). Will the Representative support the Bag Bill and schedule a hearing for it in Conference Committee?" Together, we can help them realize this is a bill whose time has come. Thanks for your support!
More background on the bill: As part of the Rise Above Plastics program, Surfrider’s Hawaii Chapters have been working for the last three years to pass a statewide bag bill that would reduce plastic pollution in the Islands. Working with key partners like the Sierra Club, Surfrider’s Oahu Chapter helped set up a RAP Coalition to support bills that would either ban plastic bags or place a fee on all single-use plastic and paper bags. After the first two years of lobbying, it became clear that neither the State nor the City & County of Honolulu (where most of Hawaii’s population lives) would support a ban like the ones recently passed on Maui and Kauai. So the RAP Coalition focused on a fee bill similar to the successful one that the DC Chapter passed. Members helped to write and build momentum for the Bag Bill (SB2511), which would place a small fee on all single-use plastic & paper grocery bags. In the 2011 legislative session, the Bag Bill moved all the way through both the Senate and the House but got stuck in the final Conference Committee. The good news is that the Bag Bill is still alive, and the RAP Coalition is working to put pressure on legislators to pass it in 2012. This would make Hawaii the first state in the country to have a statewide policy to reduce plastic & paper bag pollution.
Rob Barreca, Oahu Chapter Co-Chair; Tim Lara, Maui Chair; Stuart Coleman, HI Coordinator
