“Second verse, Same as the first!”
Second Decking
Friday, April 5th is the Second Decking deadline. That’s the date by which a bill must be filed with the non-originating chamber’s Clerk for 3rd reading.
The Hawaii Constitution, Article III, Section 15 states in part, “No bill shall become law unless it shall pass three readings in each house on separate days. No bill shall pass third or final reading in either house unless printed copies of the bill in the form to be passed shall have been made available to the members of that house for at least forty-eight hours.” The decking deadline ensures bills meet this 48-hour requirement prior to the especially critical third reading. What does this mean if your bill is currently sitting in committee? To survive, it must be passed and reported out of its last committee in time to meet the Second Decking deadline.
After a bill is decked, it must pass third reading on or before the next deadline, Second Crossover. This year, April 11th is the Second Crossover deadline.