LEGISLATIVE WEEK IN REVIEW: April 3, 2015 - April 9, 2015

by Duke Aiona, Hawaii Family Forum, April 10, 2015

Today is 2nd Decking, which means that all bills must be in their FINAL FORM so that the chamber they are in can vote on them.  They must provide 48 hour notice to the public for final vote and we will send out a notice when that happens. 

Most of the bills we are tracking will most likely move to a conference committee because changes have been made.  As a refresher, House bills are now in the Senate, and Senate bills are now in the House.  Next week Thursday, April 16, 2015, all bills will CROSSOVER back to their originating chamber.  There is no more opportunity for public input on the bills (via public testimony). That doesn't mean, however, that you are unable to speak to your legislator about any of these bills.  Quite the contrary.  We encourage you to continue to dialog with them on the bills because they will ultimately have to vote on final versions.

So, click here to read about what happened over the last week. The link will take you to the Hawaii Family Advocates website where we have put the week in review in more detail.  We decided to do this to make this email less cluttered.  You will also be able to download our revised scorecard on that link.

Here's the bottom line: marijuana dispensaries continue to gain support and momentum, the birth certificate for transgendered individuals passed the Senate Judiciary & Labor Committee and the Safe Places bill made it handily through the House Finance Committee.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

LINK: HFF Legislative Week in Review