Dodging a Bullet--Good News for Now
From Hawaii Family Forum, March 13, 2020
On Thursday, March 12, 2020, all bills referred to three or more committees had to be filed so that they could be in their second-to-last committee in the non-originating chamber the following day. (Note: A referral to a joint committee counts as one committee referral.) This deadline allows ample time for successful bills to make their way to their last committee by the Second Lateral deadline.
What that means is that two problematic bills MAY be dead this session;
I say "may", only because there have been instances in the past where a bill had a "reassignment" at the last minute to exclude one of the committees it had originally been assigned to. And in the case of the Senate a week ago, the final committee "waived" the hearing and the bill was kept alive at the last minute.
We are really grateful to House Leadership for their decision NOT to move on these bills for this legislative session.
Upcoming Legislative Events
MAR 16 - TRIPLE REFERRAL FILING (HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS) - All House Concurrent Resolutions (HCRs) referred to three or more committees must be filed so that they can be in their second-to-last committee by the following day. (Note: A referral to a joint committee counts as one committee referral.)
MAR 20 - SECOND LATERAL (BILLS) - All bills with multiple referrals must move to their final referral committee in the non-originating chamber by this date.
MAR 24 AND MAR 25 FIRST LATERAL FOR CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS - Concurrent resolutions require adoption in each chamber and are used to state the official position of the Legislature on an issue, or to request action formally without having to mandate it by law. All concurrent resolutions with multiple referrals must move to their final committee in the originating chamber by these dates: SCRs on March 24; HCRs on March 25
Another COVID-19 Message!
Just a friendly reminder!
Everyone is getting tons of emails from work, co-workers, the media and family and friends about the COVID-19 virus. We are taking a moment to let you know we are praying for you and your family as we navigate all the "dos and don'ts" respective to this news.
"... God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7).
We are asking everyone to consider the following:
- Pray for those impacted by this virus in our community, our state, our country and around the world, especially for those who have been diagnosed.
- Pray for the first responders, medical professionals, and those in authority making the decisions, setting policies, and directing all that is involved in this large-scale response.
- Stay informed regarding the spread and risk of this virus utilizing the best information we have available from a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations.
- Check in with your own pastor to see if there are any cancellations or adjustments to meetings coming up.