Paint amendment and Mattress Extended Producer Responsibility bills

Paint was once again an amendment, this time to the Senate Economic Development bill, and once again, sadly, it was pulled – meaning it wasn’t voted down, that’s the most we can say.  Someone in leadership didn’t want it or didn’t want it there and then.  Our most likely path is now as a stand-alone bill, and the odds of that have never been good.  But there is always a chance.  This is a bad loss.

On the other hand, the competing mattress Extended Producer Responsibility bills have been reconciled into a single set of language, now called H.4810. It passed out of the Environment and Natural Resources Committee on 7/1 and was sent to House Ways and Means (where Paint has languished since early this year).   It’s missing a couple things it ought to have, but nothing fatal, and we can absolutely support this version, especially since they got rid of the most controversial provision that would have helped one recycler above all others.

The primary, and probably only, opponent of the paint bill is still the Retail Association of Merchants (RAM) who put out of letter full of rather ridiculous and false claims that boil down to “we think you should throw leftover paint in the trash”.  We have a lovely letter from the owner to the Home Décor chain of hardware stores – 23 in the greater Boston area, supporting the bill, as well as a letter from the head of Aubuchon, and a nice letter from our own Hamshaw Lumber, all showing there are retailers who support, but we are not yet winning the day, alas.

Sen Jo Comerford, of course, was a co-sponsor of the amendment.

Peg Hall, July 7, 2024