Hawaii Family Forum Legislative Week in Review
from Hawaii Family Forum
RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA BILL UP FOR HEARING: YOUR ACTION NEEDED
A joint hearing of the Senate Committee on Health & Human Services and the Senate Committee on Judiciary has been scheduled to legalize recreational marijuana. The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, February 13 at 9:00 a.m. in room 016...
SB 3335 is a 328 page bill to legalize recreational marijuana.
ACTION: Please take a moment to:
1) Pray for the legislators hearing the bill that they would act on what's best for Hawaii and not for the potential revenue. We need to look at the issue through the lens of safety and caution and not potential income to the State.
2) Call (or email) the legislators on the two committees and ask them politely to VOTE NO ON SB 3335. If you live in the district on one of the members, you can send a message using the link at the bottom of this email. If you don't you can use the information on the committee members to make contact.
3) Submit testimony online with the simple message, NO TO RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA.
4) Sign the online petition and send this link out to everyone on your list to do the same!
If you need talking points: click here.
You can also get more resources from SMART APPROACHES TO MARIJUANA.
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HB2436 RELATING TO MEDICAL CARE FOR MINORS
Authorizes minors who are 14 years or older to consent to medical care for sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy, and family planning services, including the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. Requires confidentiality policies and practices for insurers and providers. Introducer of the bill is: SAIKI (Introduced by request of another party)
On Wednesday, January 31st, the committee on HLT recommended that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows:
7 Ayes: Representative(s) Belatti, Takenouchi, Amato, Ilagan, Kobayashi, Marten, Nishimoto; Ayes with reservations: none;
1 Noes: Representative(s) Garcia; and
Excused: none.
STATUS: The bill will now move to the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce. That will most likely be in about a week.
CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TALKING POINTS
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HB2079 RELATING TO HEALTH
Relaxes the requirements for prescribing certain controlled substances as part of gender-affirming health care services. Expands the protections established under Act 2, SLH 2023, to include gender-affirming health care services. Clarifies jurisdiction under the Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act for cases involving children who obtain gender-affirming health care services. Introducers of the bill are: KAPELA, AMATO, GANADEN, MARTEN, PERRUSO, TAM
On Wednesday, January 31st, the committee on HLT recommended that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows:
7 Ayes: Representative(s) Belatti, Takenouchi, Amato, Ilagan, Kobayashi, Marten, Nishimoto; Ayes with reservations: none;
1 Noes: Representative(s) Garcia; and
Excused: none.
STATUS: The bill will now move to the House Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce. That will most likely be in about a week.
CLICK FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TALKING POINTS
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HB1780 Eliminating Good Friday?
HB1780 RELATING TO WORLD PEACE DAY would eliminate Good Friday in lieu of establishing a "World Peace Day." Introducers of the bill are: ONISHI, ICHIYAMA, KAPELA, LOWEN, MARTEN, MARTINEZ, NAKASHIMA, PERRUSO, SOUZA, TAM, TODD
The bill was heard by the House Committee on Culture and the Arts on Wednesday, January 31st. The committee on CAI recommended that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes were as follows:
5 Ayes: Representative(s) Tam, Martinez, Garrett, Kapela, Matayoshi; Ayes with reservations: none;
Noes: none; and
2 Excused: Representative(s) Sayama, Alcos.
The bill will now move to the House Finance Committee (the final committee in the House before it moves to the full House for a vote.)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TALKING POINTS
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NATIONAL NEWS:
Increased Access to Surgical Abortion & Contraceptives
On the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Biden administration, per the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced new measures that would increase access to surgical and chemical abortion, as well as contraception, through the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTLA). President Biden’s HHS insists that “emergency care” can require emergency room abortions, despite the lack of any such mention in EMTALA itself. States such as Idaho and Texas, who have near total abortion bans, are in the midst of legal battles with the Biden administration over these administrative directives.
For further information, click here.
No Religious Affiliation on the Rise
The religiously unaffiliated, or “nones,” comprise the largest percentage in calculations of religious affiliation in the United States for the first time, according to the Pew Research Center. Nones account for 28%, and the next largest group is Catholics at 20%. While 69% of nones still believe in God, they decline to join any one organized religion. For further information, click here.
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Upcoming Legislative Dates and Deadlines
FEB 7 (HOUSE) & 8 (SENATE) 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 15 FIRST LATERAL FILING (BILLS) – Filing Deadline for First Lateral Bills.
FEB 16 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 22 - 28 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.
FEB 29 SINGLE REFERRAL FILING (SENATE BILLS) – Deadline to file Senate committee reports on single referral Senate Bills.
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Catch Up on the Faith and Family First Podcast