APR 13 SECOND CROSSOVER (BILLS) - Deadline for bills to pass third reading in their non-originating chamber in order to "cross back" to the originating chamber.
APR 13 LAST DAY FOR THE ORIGINATING BODY TO DISAGREE WITH BILL AMENDMENTS - The deadline for the originating chamber to disagree with changes made to its bills by the other chamber. When the Senate and House disagree on a bill, members from each chamber can meet in a "conference" committee to reconcile their differences.
APR 17 SECOND LATERAL FOR SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS - All Senate concurrent resolutions with multiple referrals must move to their final House committee by this date.
APR 21 DEADLINE FOR FINAL FORM OF BILLS PROPOSING CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS - A proposed amendment's final form must be provided by written notice to the Governor at least 10 days prior to passing final reading by a 2/3 vote in each chamber. Once adopted by the Legislature, the proposed amendment is submitted to the voters, in the form of a 'yes or no' question on the ballot, for ultimate decision.
APR 24 SECOND CROSSOVER FOR CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS - Deadline for passing amended concurrent resolutions in the non-originating chamber in order to "cross back" to the originating chamber.
APR 27 FINAL DECKING OF NON-FISCAL BILLS - Deadline for submitting non-fiscal bills for final reading by both chambers.
APR 28 FINAL DECKING OF FISCAL BILLS - Deadline for submitting fiscal bills for final reading by both chambers. Fiscal bills include appropriation or spending bills, tax credits, etc. that emerge from the fiscal committee (House Finance, Senate Ways and Means) of their respective originating chamber.
MAY 4 ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE - In Latin, "sine die" means "without a day specified for future meeting." Adjournment sine die occurs on the 60th legislative day of a regular session, and indicates a suspension of the business of the legislature indefinitely. From this point, the Legislature will certify bills whose form both chambers have agreed to, and will transmit or "enroll" those bills to the Governor. Contact PAR for information regarding the Governor's deadlines.
Wear Blue Today!
"Bully Bill" Passes House Judiciary
In a move not surprising to the pro-life community in Hawai'i, the House Judiciary Committee voted to pass SB501 HD2 out of committee. The vote, of 8-2, was totally the exact OPPOSITE of the ratio of testimony which was about 90% opposed to 10% in support (Planned Parenthood, ACOG and the ACLU).
Rep. Marcus Oshiro, who voted no on the bill, stated that his opposition was due to several factors: the description of the term "limited service pregnancy centers" is overly broad; the bill is compelled speech and will be a target for a lawsuit against the state; penalties ($500 first offense, 1k thereafter with the ability of enactment of a civil suit) are disproportionate to the offense; the bill is deceptive in its portrayal of neutrality; and is too vague;
Although the new version removes the term "abortion," Rep. Oshiro rightly questioned why "contraceptives" was also not removed because of Catholic opposition to contraceptive services.
We applaud both Rep. Oshiro (586-6700) and Rep. Bob McDermott (586-9730) in their heroic efforts to protect the religious freedom and 1st Amendment rights of the faith based community who live and work in the State of Hawai'i. Please contact them to thank them for their continued support of the faith-based community in Hawai'i.
What's Coming Up?
Legislative Bills Still Alive Head for Conference Committee
(From a newsletter by Representative Jarrett Keohokalole District 48)
There are five weeks left in the legislative session, and that means that bills that are still alive in this session are moving on to their final committees for public hearings. If the bills are passed out by their respective subject matter committees (i.e. Judiciary, Finance), they will proceed to an up-or-down vote before the full legislature.
The last two weeks of April are reserved for the conference process.Conference takes place when both the House and Senate have approved a piece of legislation, but disagree on the specific language or funding amount in the bill. Members of both chambers then meet in conference committees to confer and try to agree on final versions of the bills to be sent to the Governor.
If the conference committees cannot come to an agreement on a bill's final form before the end of the legislative session, the bill carries over to the next year where it is again taken up for discussion.
May is National Foster Care Month!
40 Days for Life Final Rally
We are near the end of another 40 Days for Life Campaign. The closing rally is scheduled for this Saturday, April 8, 2017, 9:00 am through 12:00 pm. Please come out one last time this season, as we join together to pray for the precious babies and their mothers as they arrive at Planned Parenthood. The address is 1350 S. King St. Honolulu. If you want to join them, please meet on the sidewalk in front of the building. You can call Tracey Clay-Whitehurst at (808) 754-7427 or Joe Picon at (808) 551-4471 if you need more information or have any questions.
From Around the Nation
Senate Confirms Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court in Party-Line Vote
In a 54-45 vote, Republicans united around Neil Gorsuch, a federal appeals judge from Colorado who will take the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the death last year of Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative stalwart, Caleb Ecarma reports.