Your Testimony is Needed!
From Honolulu Republican Party, February 24, 2019
Our voice and opinions are powerful. Our legislators were elected to represent our concerns. It is up to us to voice concerns and to make our voice heard. If we take the time to convey our thoughts to our elected officials and follow up with them, our message will have great impact, but we all must get involved.
Click on the bill number to see the details and submit testimony.
LEGISLATIVE HEARINGS WEEK 6
Monday February 25, 2019
SB 383
RELATING TO YOUTH SUICIDE PREVENTION.
Requires the Board of Education to establish and implement youth suicide awareness and prevention training programs and risk referral protocols in public schools, including charter schools. SUPPORT
SB 789
RELATING TO MINIMUM WAGE
Provides an income tax credit for qualifying small businesses to offset the increase in the minimum hourly rate that employers must pay employees. Increases the minimum wage to $12.00 per hour beginning 1/1/2020 and $15.00 per hour beginning 1/1/2023. (SD1) OPPOSE
While we support tax breaks for small businesses, this an empty incentive developed to silence opposition to increasing the minimum wage.
SB 1031
RELATING TO HOMELESSNESS
Establishes the long-term rental assistance pilot program to be administered by the department of health. Appropriates funds for the administration of the pilot program. SUPPORT
This legislation is designed to assist our Kupuna.
Tuesday February 26, 2019
HB 132
RELATING TO FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION.
Establishes the class B felony offense of prohibited acts related to female genital mutilation. Requires prosecuting attorneys of the respective counties to keep annual statistics on cases involving prohibited acts related to female genital mutilation. Requires the Judiciary's administrative director of the courts to annually compile and report these county statistics to the legislature. Requires the Department of Health to design and implement a plan for raising awareness about, preventing, and treating female genital mutilation and to report regularly to the Legislature on plan implementation. SUPPORT
HB 210
RELATING TO ELECTIONS.
Provides ranked choice method of voting for all partisan primary elections, special elections, and nonpartisan general elections held in this State on or after 1/1/2020. OPPOSE
HB 330
RELATING TO SUICIDE PREVENTION.
Appropriates moneys for youth suicide early intervention, prevention, and education initiatives in Kauai and Hawaii counties. SUPPORT
HB 655
RELATING TO HEALTH.
Designates the month of September of each year as Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month. SUPPORT
HB 745
RELATING TO SCHOOL SPONSORSHIP NAMING RIGHTS.
Authorizes schools to accept donations in exchange for naming rights of school buildings, facilities, equipment, and fixtures. SUPPORT
HB 1416
RELATING TO HEALTH.
Establishes a Suicide Prevention Commission to develop a strategic plan to reduce suicides within Hawaii's correctional system. SUPPORT
SB 412
RELATING TO VOTING.
Requires that any person who is eligible to vote and applies for a new or renewal motor vehicle driver's license, provisional license, or instruction permit, or a new, renewal, or duplicate identification card be automatically registered to vote if that person is not already registered to vote unless the applicant affirmatively declines to be registered to vote. Authorizes access to and electronic transmission of databases maintained or operated by the counties or the department of transportation containing driver's license or identification card information to election officials and the statewide voter registration system. Effective 1/1/2020. OPPOSE
SB 1051
RELATING TO HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS WITH SEVERE MENTAL ILLNESS.
Requires the Department of Human Services, in consultation with the Department of Health, to establish a pilot project to procure services from a designated service provider to operate a facility to provide shelter and mental health treatment for homeless individuals with severe mental illness or severe co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders who are subject to court-ordered assisted community treatment or court-ordered guardianship. Requires the adult protective and community services branch of the Department of Human Services or a licensed physician employed by the designated service provider to request court-ordered assisted community treatment or court-ordered guardianship for homeless individuals with severe mental illness or severe co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders. Requests that homeless individuals with severe mental illness or severe co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders provide identification documentation prior to receiving shelter and mental health treatment. Requires the designated service provider to locate an unused, suitable facility to operate as a shelter. Makes an appropriation. SUPPORT
SB 1463
RELATING TO TAXATION
Replaces the environmental response, energy, and food security tax with a carbon emissions tax. Repeals state fuel taxes under the fuel tax law. OPPOSE
A carbon tax may be crafted to be government revenue neutral, but it will not be crafted to be household revenue neutral. The intent and impact of a carbon tax is to raise the price of coal, natural gas, and gasoline to the point that they are more expensive than high-priced wind power, solar power, and electric vehicles powered by wind and solar. When this happens, Hawaii taxpayers will be purchasing wind and solar power that is much more expensive than what they presently pay for coal, natural gas, and gasoline. Hawaii taxpayers will therefore be forced to spend substantially more money on energy and energy-related bills. Yet the wind and solar industries will pay no carbon taxes, meaning a ‘successful’ carbon tax that dramatically reduces carbon emissions will collect little tax revenue and thereafter return little money to the people. This would be ‘revenue neutral’ for government, but households will see dramatic declines in discretionary income as a result of their uncompensated higher energy bills. This is a bait and switch.
Wednesday February 27, 2019
SB 415
RELATING TO HEALTH.
Authorizes advanced practice registered nurses to perform aspiration abortions. OPPOSE
Thursday February 28, 2019
Decision Making Hearings
Friday March 1, 2019
Decision Making Hearings
2019 Legislative Session
TESTIMONY
Testimony for legislative measures scheduled for hearing by the House or Senate should be delivered at least 24 hours prior to the hearing and may be submitted in person, by fax, or electronically as indicated on the hearing notice.
Testimony for legislative measures scheduled for hearing by the House or Senate may be submitted electronically through the Hawaii State Legislature's website at www.capitol.hawaii.gov by clicking on the button marked Submit Testimony and following the on-screen instructions.
Testimony for legislative measures scheduled for hearing by the Senate may also be faxed to 586-6659 (Oahu) or 1-800-586-6659 (Neighbor Islands).
SENATE HEARING LATE TESTIMONY - Testimony received after the 24-hour deadline will be posted to the Capitol website within 24 hours after the hearing has adjourned and may be marked as "late".
HOUSE HEARING LATE TESTIMONY - Staff will try to incorporate additional testimony received within 24 hours of the hearing if possible.
The hearing committee will post testimony received "on-time" to the Capitol website at the beginning of the hearing. Testimony received after the 24-hour deadline may be marked as "late" but will be posted to the Capitol website as soon as possible following the hearing. Testimony submitted after the hearing will not be considered or posted.
LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR KEY DATES
FEB 21 - 27 MANDATORY 5-DAY RECESS – Hawaii’s Constitution mandates a 5-day recess between the 20th and 40th days of the regular session. Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate convene or assemble formally in chamber on recess days. Committee hearings do take place. (No formal floor action takes place during this recess, but committees may still meet and conduct business, including public hearings.)
MAR 1 FIRST DECKING (BILLS) – Deadline for bills to emerge from all their committees (with committee reports filed) and be submitted to the clerk of the originating chamber. This “decking” ensures a mandatory 48 hour opportunity for final review by the chamber’s members before they are asked to vote on the third reading. Note: A bill must pass three readings (votes) in each chamber before being enrolled to the governor.
MAR 7 FIRST CROSSOVER (BILLS) – Deadline for bills to pass third reading in order to move (or “crossover”) to the other chamber. If successful, House bills are sent to the Senate and Senate bills are sent to the House for further consideration.
MAR 8 LAST DAY TO INTRODUCE SUBSTANTIVE RESOLUTIONS – Resolutions are legislative measures which may request action of a government entity or state the legislature’s position on an issue. They don’t have the force and effect of law, require only one reading in chamber, and don't enroll to the Governor.
COME JOIN OUR FRIENDS of the HAWAII FIREARMS COALITION this Tuesday, February 26, 6pm-7:30pm at Lanakila Elementary School (717 N Kuakini St, Honolulu, HI) for a Townhall Meeting.
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