End of Session is Near – Bills That are Still Alive

Aloha mai!     April 11, 2018

We are three weeks away from the end of the 2018 Legislative Session! The House just sent over 150 bills back to the Senate for Second Crossover. Next week is the start of Conference Committees and members of the House and Senate will come together to work out any disagreements about the bills.

Last week Friday, April 6th, in a robust discussion, Representative Cynthia Thielen endeavored to recommit SB 2609 - relating to financial disclosure statements (please see video for the floor debate). SB 2609 will allow the redaction of all financial interest amounts on public financial disclosure statements of volunteer members of certain state boards, commissions, and agencies. The bill would apply to volunteer members of the State Ethics Commission, the Board of Agriculture, the Public Utilities Commission, the Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA), and The Hawaiian Homes Commission, just to name a few. In the Senate, this bill received seven no votes and three ayes with reservations, and 12 no votes and six ayes with reservations from the House, which is significant for any piece of legislation we've seen this session. 

Representative Cynthia Thielen in an interview for Live at the Legislature, airing Mondays at 8:30am on Channel 49 or online at olelo.org.

On the floor when the motion to recommit was made, Representative Cynthia Thielen said, "Article 14 of our Constitution requires all boards and commission members who wield significant discretionary or fiscal powers to file financial disclosure statements to promote transparency and accountability. It doesn't matter whether these board and commission members are non-paid volunteers, they still wield significant discretionary or fiscal powers. This bill will require the redaction or the hiding of all financial amounts on the financial disclosure statements. So in other words, the public would be able to look at a meaningless document." In summary, Rep. Thielen finds this bill to be unconstitutional and thus justify her motion to recommit it to the Judiciary committee. The motion failed. But the discussion continued. See video for the full discussion.

BILL UPDATE!

Here is an ***UPDATE!*** to the bills introduced by members of our Republican Caucus that crossed over to the Senate:

HB 1602 - RELATING TO OPIOIDS

Requires that persons who sell opioid drugs must also provide a label warning of the risks of addiction and death.

Primary Introducer: Representative Cynthia Thielen (District 50 - Kaneohe Bay, Kailua)

Passed Third Reading. Transmitted to the House for Conference Committee.

Resolutions that are still moving in the legislature:

HR 157 HD1 - URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS TO COMMIT TO PROVIDING HOUSING FIRST FOR NATIVE HAWAIIAN BENEFICIARIES.

Primary Introducer: Representative Gene Ward (District 17 - Hawaii Kai, Kalama Valley)

Reso awaiting hearing in FIN.

HCR 160 / HR 110 - URGING THE USAGE OF HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE WHEN REFERRING TO THE NAMES OF PLACES AND GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES IN HAWAI‘I.

Primary Introducer: Representative Andria Tupola (District 43 - Ewa Villages, Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Nanakai Gardens, Ko Olina, Kahe Point, Nanakuli, Lualualei, Maili)

Transmitted to the Senate. Awaiting a hearing in HWN.

HCR 161 / HR 111 - ENCOURAGING THE U.S. ARMY AND U.S. NAVY TO NOMINATE KOLEKOLE PASS TO THE THEATER ENGINEER EFFECTS BOARD TO BE REPAIRED FOR USE BY THE MILITARY AND AS AN EVACUATION ROUTE IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY OR NATURAL DISASTER ON THE LEEWARD COAST.

Primary Introducer: Representative Andria Tupola (District 43 - Ewa Villages, Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Nanakai Gardens, Ko Olina, Kahe Point, Nanakuli, Lualualei, Maili)

Reso awaiting hearing in FIN.

HCR 156 / HR 137 - URGING THE CREATION OF A VIRTUAL CENTER FOR WOMEN AND TECHNOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.

Primary Introducer: Representative Lauren Matsumoto (District 45 - Schofield, Mokuleia, Waialua, Kunia, Waipio Acres, Mililani)

Reso awaiting hearing in FIN.

HCR 157 / HR 107 - ENCOURAGING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO MAINTAIN COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION IN ONGOING EFFORTS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AND MONITOR THE IMMUNIZATION AND VACCINATION OF CHILDREN IN HAWAII AND ENSURE THEIR SAFETY.

Primary Introducer: Representative Andria Tupola (District 43 - Ewa Villages, Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Nanakai Gardens, Ko Olina, Kahe Point, Nanakuli, Lualualei, Maili)

Reso awaiting hearing in FIN.