Committee reports bill to create battery stewardship program after debate on costs and enforcement

House Bill 1233, sponsored by Rep. Siegel, would establish a stewardship program for safe collection and recycling of portable and medium-format lithium-ion batteries weighing up to 25 pounds. The House Environmental Committee voted to report the bill to the full House after mixed discussion and a roll-call that recorded multiple ayes and nos.

Rep. Siegel framed the measure as a “common sense” bipartisan approach to reduce fires and recover materials. “I think this bill is a win for public safety,” Siegel said, citing a destructive fire at a Penn Waste facility in York that she said caused $30,000,000 in damage and injured two firefighters. Siegel said the program would be run by battery stewardship organizations set up by manufacturers “at no cost to the Commonwealth.”

A staff member summarized the bill: “This is House Bill 1233, creates a stewardship program for safe disposal of portable and medium format batteries up to 25 pounds.” Several committee members supported the goal but raised questions about specifics. One lawmaker said they supported recycling generally but not the details of this bill, citing concerns about giving control to the Department of Environmental Protection and the possibility of rising costs to consumers. That member also criticized the per-violation penalty in the bill, saying the proposed $2,500-per-violation fine “seems kinda heavy.”

Another committee member urged the bill’s sponsors to consult small businesses that already handle battery recycling and to consider support for volunteer fire companies. That speaker said penalties and fee recovery in the legislation would not return money to first responders who currently bear firefighting costs, including the expensive Class B firefighting foams sometimes used to suppress lithium-ion battery fires.

After discussion, the committee voted to report HB 1233 to the full House. The roll call recorded a mix of ayes and nos; Chair Rader voted no. The transcript records multiple named representatives voting aye (including Vitale, Otten, Rivera, Salisbury, Siegel, Mahaffey and Stender) and multiple members voting no (including Rader, Flick, James, Twardzik and Wendling). The committee did not adopt amendments on the floor of the meeting.

The bill’s text, as described in committee, would require stewardship organizations (established by manufacturers) to set up collection and recycling systems, include a public-education campaign, and cover batteries up to 25 pounds; specifics about fee structures, enforcement mechanics, and whether recovered fees would support fire departments were not finalized in committee.