Common Cause Hawaii to Host Hawaii Open Budget Initiative Demonstration

• WHO: Common Cause Hawaii
• WHAT: Live Demonstration of the Hawaii Open Budget Initiative website
• WHEN: Wednesday, March 25, 2015, from 6-7pm
• WHERE: Hawaii State Capitol, Room 224 (2nd floor) –  Metered parking available (enter underground car park off Punchbowl and Miller Streets)
• ADMISSION: FREE

News Release from Office of Sen Sam Slom March 23, 2015

HONOLULU—This Wednesday, March 25, 2015 at 6pm, Common Cause Hawaii will host a live demonstration of the Hawaii Open Budget Initiative[1] at the Hawaii State Capitol Room 224.

Admission to the Demonstration is free, and members of the public and media are encouraged to register for the event via Eventbrite[1].

Riding on the tail of Sunshine Week, a national week dedicated to encouraging transparency and access in government, the nonpartisan Common Cause Hawaii is hosting a demonstration focused on transparency in the state budget. Guest speakers include leaders within the state legislature's Minority Caucus. Senate Minority Leader Senator Sam Slom and House Minority Leader Representative Beth Fukumoto Chang will give a brief overview of the intent of the Hawaii Open Budget Initiative, a non-partisan effort to educate the public about the legislative budget process and to foster open, informed dialogue about the state economy. The demonstration will follow, to be led by Senate Minority Budget Director Paul Harleman and Senior Attorney and Director of Research for the Senate Minority, Tisha Panter.

The Hawaii Open Budget Initiative is a joint project between the Hawaii Senate Minority and House Minority. At http://hawaiiopenbudget.com, state budget facts and figures are displayed in interactive, user-friendly formats to encourage civic participation and discourse.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan nonprofit committed to strengthening our democracy, encouraging citizen participation in government, and holding elected officials accountable to the public interest. For more information, visit http://hi.commoncause.org.

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Background: Hawaii Open Budget: A bold step towards fiscal transparency

[1] http://www.eventbrite.com/e/hawaii-open-budget-demonstration-tickets-16113436723

[2] http://www.commoncause.org/about/