A bill that would charge 10 cents for throwaway plastic bags at the check-out counter could be in trouble, according to a press release issued by the Hawaii Sierra Club, a major backer of Senate BIll 2511. 

The House Finance Committee has yet to schedule a hearing on it. The legislation has passed Senate and House committees, but needs to pass out of the Finance Committee in order to go to a full floor vote. 

Despite overwhelming public support — from numerous retailers, environmentalists, and businesses — the House Committee on Finance has yet to schedule a hearing on SB 2511, a measure that would place a ten cent fee on paper and plastic bags and fund Governor Abercrombie’s watershed initiative.

“Chair Marcus Oshiro is well aware of this measure and previously indicated he was inclined to hear it,” said Robert D. Harris, Director of the Sierra Club. “One could conclude that the failure to schedule the bill is an attempt by some members of the House to kill the bill without the necessity of a public hearing.”