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Posted: Thursday, April 19th, 2012 11:45 AM HST

Environmentalists calling for bag bill vote

By Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii's first lady, environmental groups and retailers are calling on state lawmakers to vote on a bill that would charge a 10-cent fee each time a shopper chooses a disposable paper or plastic bag. Nancie Caraway joined representatives from the Nature Conservancy of Hawaii, Times and Safeway supermarkets, the Surfrider Foundation and the Sierra Club Hawaii at a press conference near the state Capitol on Thursday. Caraway says she and her husband Gov. Neil Abercrombie are anxiously awaiting passage of House Bill 2483, which would encourage residents to bring reusable bags with them when they go shopping, or pay a fee that will help protect the state's watersheds. The bill will need to be in final form by April 27 to have a floor vote in both chambers.