Pearl City Neighborhood Board Report
While the legislature deliberates on the big issues of the day—homelessness, healthcare, education—it also addresses issues that don’t always make headlines but improves the quality of life in our community.
As chair of the House Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee, I have introduced a package of bills that will help consumers. The following bills were introduced during the 2019 session and are still alive for consideration:
HB 267 RELATING TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS
Requires that if a proposed increase in the wholesale price of certain drugs would result in a 16% or more price increase over a 2-year period, the drug manufacturer shall notify various drug insurance providers.
Drug manufacturers have raised the price of medications far beyond what is reasonable. For example, Valeant, recently raised the price of a generic glaucoma medication by 63 percent. Back in 2015, the company increased the price of Syprine used to treat a rare disorder to $21,000 that was sold for 30 times less five years earlier. The world’s largest generic drug manufacturer, Teva Pharmaceuticals increased the cost of an inhalant to prevent asthma attacks by almost 50 percent.
HB762 RELATING TO SINGLE-USE PLASTIC STRAWS
Prohibits a full-service restaurant from providing a single-use plastic straw to a consumer unless requested by the consumer.
Hawaii became the second state to curtail the use of plastic bags. This bill would make plastic straws available upon request with the intent of reducing the overall use of straws.
A report last year from the academic journal Science Advances said that, as of 2015, only 9% of plastics was being recycled, 12% was being incinerated and the other 79% was ending up in the environment.
While straws are a small part of the entire plastic stream, it’s an important step towards the goal of reducing the 88 lbs. of plastic each of us uses annually.
HB760 RELATING TO CONSUMER PROTECTION
Requires full-service restaurants to disclose their non-participation in national advertising campaigns that offer a promotion or discount at its entrance or storefront.
The bill would require that restaurants post notices if they are not participating in national advertised promotions. Many people go to a restaurant as a result of seeing a television commercial advertising “2 for $20 entrees” and find out after sitting down, that this offer is not available in Hawaii. By requiring signage in the front of the restaurant, customers have the choice of deciding to go in knowing that the advertised special is not offered.
HB276 RELATING TO FLAVORED TOBACCO PRODUCTS
Bans the sale of flavored tobacco products.
Clearly, the tobacco industry targets young people since age plays a big role as to when you experiment with smoking. The latest effort is the proliferation of flavored products with over 15,500 vaping flavors on the market
Kids who vape are ten times more likely to take up smoking. Over a fourth of high schoolers in Hawaii vape, more than twice the national average.
In addition, I will be introducing the following bills:
- Hotel Advertising Transparency Act
Hotels and other places of short-term lodging often advertise a price that does not disclose any additional mandatory fees, such as “resort fees”, “cleaning fees”, or “facility fees”, that are only disclosed and added to the advertised total later in the buying process. The number of places that charge such fees continues to rise. This practice is unfair and deceptive to consumers.
This bill would require “resort fees” to be included in the advertised price.
- Prescription Affordability Review Board
An affordability review board legislation enables states to set allowable rates for certain high-cost drugs, similar to the process states use to regulate utilities or insurance premiums. Under this law, a state drug affordability review board would establish the maximum amount that payers would pay for individual drugs. While transparency laws expose the true cost of drugs, this approach takes the next step to protect consumers and payers from over-priced drugs.
Capital Improvement Projects 2020
Pearl City Elementary School: $1,570,000, Design and funding for architectural barrier removal.
Pearl City High School Baseball and Softball Complex: $2,500,000, Ground and site improvements; equipment and appurtenances.
Pearl City High School: $400,000, Resurfacing of parking lot driveway.
Waipahu High School: $5,500,000, Design, construction and equipment for phase one of a new classroom building.
Waipahu High School: $4,700,000, Design and construction for girl’s athletic locker room.