No matter what happens in Washington, D.C., in the coming days, here in Hawaii we need to take a deep breath and turn our focus immediately toward local issues.
We may not be able to personally and directly impact national or global decision-making, but we can without a doubt make a difference here at home.
And that process begins today.
Very soon the House and Senate will organize and agree on who will sit in key leadership positions, and who will chair the various legislative committees during the coming 2025-26 biennium.
They’ll also be discussing and agreeing upon the House and Senate internal rules. These rules govern how power is disbursed among legislators and the manner in which bills are introduced, scheduled, amended, debated and voted upon.
These rules are critically important. Citizen advocates and legislators alike should take the time to study and know the rules — see https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/docs/HouseRules.pdf and https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/docs/SenateRules.pdf.
While digging into the weeds and reading the rules sounds tedious and boring (and it is), it’s essential to understand how it really works (and a bit disgusting once you find out).
For example, the rules as written today allow the committee chair the power to kill a bill (public policy initiatives), without a hearing, without public debate, and without a vote by the committee.
This practice, which allows the killing of bills in the dark and behind closed doors, is inherently corrupt.
At the present time, bills are sometimes amended verbally, without public notice, and even after the vote has already been taken. This practice must stop.
The rules also allow every single bill to be referred to the House Finance Committee or in the Senate, the Committee on Ways and Means, thus giving the money chairs total control. The money chair can kill a bill without granting it a hearing or a vote, even if it has passed through every other committee, and even if there’s no money involved whatsoever.
Suffice it to say, the existing House and Senate rules need a serious overhaul.
Fortunately there’s ongoing discussion among some representatives in the House to make the changes needed.
We can help by letting our own Kauai representatives and senator know the status quo is unacceptable, and rule changes are long overdue.
Please take a moment and email today:
Senate President Ronald Kouchi senkouchi@capitol.hawaii.gov
Presumptive incoming House Speaker Nadine Nakamura (North Shore to Wailua Houselots) repnakamura@capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Luke Evslin (Wailua Homesteads to Puhi) repevslin@capitol.hawaii.gov
Representative Dee Morikawa Omao to Kekaha repmorikawa@capitol.hawaii.gov
As always, keep all communications brief, polite and professional.
If you agree that the rules need to be changed, first and foremost let these four key legislators know. Next, ask them to help make it happen by amending the rules to:
Revoke the power of committee chairs to kill bills without a public hearing or a public vote.
Require all bill amendments be presented publicly in writing and in advance.
Allow the referral of bills to the finance or WAM committee only when there’s a direct and tangible impact on the State budget.
The above rule changes are not complicated and do not require a year-round legislative session. Colorado, North Dakota and New Hampshire presently require every bill to have a public hearing. None of these three states have a year-round legislative session.
My hope is that Kauai residents will send our legislators a simple email now, expressing strong support for these changes, and that our three representatives and senator will listen and act accordingly.
