H.R. 188 Summary

• Urges Hawaii's congressional delegation to secure federal appropriations for constructing and operating an EPA-certified laboratory to analyze environmental toxins in air, water, soil, and biological specimens.

• Addresses lack of independent testing capacity, as Hawaii currently relies on data from entities responsible for environmental contamination and must send samples to mainland laboratories with potential result delays.

• Identifies estimated construction cost of $100,000,000 and annual operational costs exceeding $200,000 as beyond the State's current financial capacity given recovery needs from the August 2023 Maui wildfires.

• Requires the laboratory to comply with Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments standards and mandates public disclosure of test results for toxins including PFAS, petroleum constituents (TPH-D, TPH-O, TPH-G), and other environmental contaminants.

• Directs certified copies of the resolution to Hawaii's congressional delegation, the Governor, and Director of Health.