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Senate Ways and Means committee votes 3-2 to recommend 'ought to pass' on House Bill 451 (paint stewardship)
Summary
After split debate over costs and fairness, the Senate Ways and Means Committee voted 3-2 in executive session to recommend 'ought to pass' on House Bill 451, a voluntary paint stewardship program that would add a point-of-sale fee to fund paint collection and disposal programs.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee voted 3-2 in executive session to recommend "ought to pass" on House Bill 451, a voluntary paint stewardship measure that would add a fee at point of sale to fund paint collection and disposal programs. The committee entered executive session to consider the bill and, after debate, recorded three aye votes and two nays.
Supporters said the program would reduce municipal hazardous-waste-day costs and place the financial burden on paint users rather than on taxpayers. Unidentified Speaker S2, who summarized the bill for the committee, said public-hearing figures showed the average cost for a town to host a hazardous-waste day was about $15,000 and that "over 50% of the waste was paint cans," arguing those figures show a need for a stewardship program. "If you buy paint, you're gonna pay this. If you don't buy paint, you're not gonna pay this," S2 said, framing the proposal as a user fee rather than a general tax.
Opponents argued the fee amounts to a tax on consumers and could create unfair advantages for some retailers. Senator Murphy said he would continue to vote no, calling the proposal "an overreach" that "really amounts to a paint tax." Another member of the committee (Unidentified Speaker S4) said the program could "pick winners and losers" by favoring retailers able to host collection events and noted consumers are unlikely to bring empty cans in for recycling.
Proponents described the program as voluntary (opt-in) and pointed to backing from waste-management stakeholders. Unidentified Speaker S3 said the bill was bipartisan and had support from groups listed in the public record, and that similar programs have been adopted in other states.
The committee chair reported sign-in counts for the public record: 46 people or groups signed in supporting the bill, two signed in opposition and two listed neutral positions. After discussion, the committee voted to recommend the bill "ought to pass" by a 3-2 margin. The transcript does not record a roll-call list of yes votes by name; recorded no votes included Senator Murphy and the member who spoke in SEG 052–059.
The committee exited executive session and adjourned; no subsequent legislative step or hearing date was specified on the record.
