Environment

HB 1602 creates a statewide program requiring battery manufacturers and brands (producers) to fund and manage the safe collection and recycling of covered batteries. It applies to portable batteries (under 4.4 lbs primary or 11 lbs rechargeable) and medium-format batteries (11-25 lbs), excluding medical device batteries, vehicle batteries, and lead-acid batteries over 11 pounds. Producers must join a "battery stewardship organization" that meets annual collection targets and follows environmental safety rules, with the Department of Environmental Services overseeing compliance. The program shifts recycling responsibility from consumers to producers, ensuring covered batteries are handled safely through a structured, industry-funded system.

HB 392 directs the dissolution of three specific state entities: the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Health Equity, the Department of Environmental Services' environmental justice programs, and the Governor's Council on Diversity and Inclusion. The bill prohibits these agencies from re-establishing these offices or using any allocated funds for projects labeled "health equity" or "civil rights and environmental justice." It also removes the Office of Health Equity director position from state statute and repeals related membership requirements. This bill affects state agencies' program structures and funding allocations, with no new funding provided or positions authorized.