2021 Legislative Session
Aloha Oahu Republicans, Feb 8, 2021
From our friends at the Hawaii Family Forum ...
SB 1321 Limited Casino Gaming; Single Integrated Resort; Appropriation.
Say no to gambling on Hawaiian Homelands - The social costs that come with legalized gambling will hurt the families that live on Hawaiian homelands.
https://www.hawaiifamilyforum.org/action-center/
UPDATE: Hawaii House Panel Strikes Down DHHL Casino Proposal (Civil Beat) - Rep. Sean Quinlan, chairman of the House Economic Development Committee, indefinitely deferred House Bill 359, the casino proposal, during a hearing Friday. The deferral shelves the bill until the next legislative session in 2022. SB 1321 is the Senate companion bill to HB 359.
ACTION: Click here to take action if you live in the district of one of the members of the committee. If you don't live in the district of one of these committee members, please call their office and let them know that you do not want gambling on Hawaiian homelands.
Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs
Senate Schedules bills which highlight APRN's support of participating in abortion & assisted suicide
Expanding abortion and assisted suicide in Hawaii! Just say no.
The Senate Health Committee has scheduled these two bills for hearing next week Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Click the bill numbers below to get more information on the bills and view talking points.
ACTION: Call these members of the Senate Health Committee and ask them to vote NO on both bills: (In a polite and respectful manner, simply leave your name and address, tell them you oppose the bill and give them the bill #. They may ask you if are a constituent so if you are NOT a constituent, please be honest.)
Senate Health Committee
SB 839, (assisted suicide expansion bill) which authorizes advanced practice registered nurses, in addition to physicians, to practice medical aid in dying in accordance with their scope of practice and prescribing authority. Authorizes psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners, in addition to psychiatrists, psychologists, and clinical social workers, to provide counseling to a qualified patient. Reduces the mandatory waiting period between oral requests from twenty days to fifteen days. Waives the mandatory waiting period for those terminally ill individuals not expected to survive the mandatory waiting period.
SB 624 (abortion expansion bill) Authorizes licensed physician assistants and advanced practice registered nurses to perform certain abortions.
Senate Education Committee to Hear Bill on State Lottery
Hawaii Does Not Need a Lottery
The Senate Education Committee has scheduled a hearing on SB 816 (Relating to a State Lottery) for Wednesday, February 10 at 3:05 p.m. Click this link for more information about the bill.
SB 816 (introduced by Senator(s) KIDANI, KANUHA, Keith-Agaran, Nishihara, San Buenaventura, Shimabukuro) creates a state lottery to begin by 1/1/2022. Creates the state lottery commission, state lottery account, and lottery administration account. Requires certain amounts of lottery revenues to be deposited into the administrative account, general fund, and special funds for university facilities and operations and public school operations.
ACTION: To see the hearing notice and submit online testimony in opposition, click this link. Contact the Senate Education Committee and ask them to vote NO on SB 816. If you live in the district of one of the Senators below, you can send a message at this link!
From our friends at the Hawaii Firearms Coalition...
Testimony is needed on the below bills. You will need to click each bill to submit testimony.
SB bills are Senate bills and you can use our web form, HB bills are House bills and you will be directed to the state site to submit testimony.
SB301 ASSAULT WEAPONS AND MAGAZINE BAN
This bill would ban ALL Semi-automatic rifles that take a magazine, Ban all Magazines that hold more than 10 rounds and more.
SB307 50 CALIBER AND LARGER BAN
This bill would ban all 50cal weapons including handguns and all 12G shotguns.
HB1366 RETROACTIVE BAN ON “GHOST GUNS
This would ban the possession of any parts kits and unfinished lower receivers in your possession.
HB662 RESTORES LIMITED FIREARMS OWNERSHIP FOR MISDEMEANOR OFFENSES
This bill will restore gun rights to a limited number of criminals who have served their time and paid their debt to society
HB31 FIREARM STORAGE, AGE CHANGE FROM 16 TO 18
Denies access to young adults to firearms in order to hunt or defend themselves. Does not take into account the maturity of the individual and instead makes the parents or guardian into a criminal if the minor gains access to the firearm.
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What Are They Thinking? by Tom Yamachika, President, Tax Foundation Hawaii
STATE OF HAWAII ELECTIONS COMMISSION will be meeting on Monday, February 8, 2021 at 10:00am attend the meeting via Zoom Video: https://zoom.us/j/92193397185. Meeting agenda HERE.
COMMITTEE HEARINGS BEGIN!
Now is the time to take action and let your voice be heard with testimony in the committee hearings which begin meeting this week!
Committees
Legislative Session - In light of the City and County of Honolulu’s current COVID-19 restrictions, please be advised that this year there will be no in person hearings or access to legislators at the capitol building.
Topic Reports
Legislative Calendar
(https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/docs/SessionCalendar.pdf)
FEB 11–TRIPLE REFERRAL FILING (BILLS) – All bills referred to three or more committees must be filed so that they can be in their second-to-last committee by the following day. (Note: A referral to a joint committee counts as one committee referral.) This deadline allows ample time for successful bills to make their way to the last committee in their originating chamber by the First Lateral deadline.
FEB 19–FIRST LATERAL (BILLS) – All bills referred to more than one committee (i.e., those with multiple referrals) must move to their final committee in the originating chamber by this day.
FEB 25–MAR 3 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.
HONOLULU CITY COUNCIL
Become A Citizen Activist
Becoming an effective citizen activist, you must learn how to track a measure you’re interested in and know how and when to submit testimony. That requires knowing how our State Legislature works. Click HERE to prepare yourself for the 2021 Legislative Session.