SPONSOR: Veit
This bill creates the "Lithium Battery Recycling and Safety Act", which requires any person or entity engaged in the manufacture, sales, or distribution of batteries in the State to establish or join a representative organization that will develop a plan for a battery recycling program. The representative organization must submit a plan, as specified in the bill, to the Director of the Department of Natural Resources for approval every five years.
The Department must enforce the representative organization's compliance with the plan and may establish enforcement procedures and penalties.
After a battery recycling program is implemented, a person or entity may not manufacture, distribute, or sell batteries in the state unless the person or entity participates in the battery recycling program and may not charge a point-of-sale fee to consumers to cover the costs of the program. All batteries may only be disposed into receptacles at collection sites approved by the program and may not be disposed into household waste or recycle containers.
The person or entity is in compliance with the bill if the person or entity is listed on the Department's website as being included in the program on the date a battery is offered for sale.
If the Department finds that the person or entity violated provisions of the bill, the Department must ask the Attorney General to commence a civil action. If the court finds that the person or entity violated provisions of the bill, the court may grant relief as specified in the bill.
By June 1, 2027, and by June 1st of each following year, a representative organization must submit an annual report to the Department covering the previous calendar year of the battery recycling program. The report must be posted on the Department's and the representative organization's website.
This bill is the same as SB 593 (2025).
Statutes affected: