Mark your calendars: Session gets underway again next year on the third Wednesday in January -- January 20th, 2016. The 2015 Regular Session ended Thursday, May 7th. A total of 252 bills passed the Legislature this session! All but one (SB143, a proposed Constitutional Amendment that will appear on the 2016 ballot) have gone off to the Governor for possible enactment. Find the... Read More Adjournment sine die (Session pau for now)...
So the bill you're interested in has survived both the House and the Senate... only trouble is, they've each passed different versions of the bill! What next? Your bill is most likely destined for conference committee -- where assigned Representatives and Senators will attempt to negotiate a final version of the bill. Numerous other bills in this situation are also being worked on... Read More Moving into Conference…...
The deadline for all House Bills to successfully pass through all of the committees that they were referred to and pass three readings on the House floor is Thursday, March 12th. It's the same deadline for all Senate Bills to successfully pass through all of the committees they were referred to and pass three readings on the Senate floor. What... Read More Almost at First Crossover...
The incredibly handy, pocket-sized “Hawaii Directory of Public Officials 2015″ (which lists contact information for Hawaii's legislators) is here. And once again its publisher, the Hawaii Institute of Public Affairs (HIPA), has generously provided the Public Access Room with an ample supply for distribution to our patrons. There's a handy mobile app as well (d.hipaonline.com). Stop in (Room 401, State Capitol) and pick up a copy... Read More Handy Pocket Directories are Here...
From January 21st through January 29th, we'll see thousands of bills introduced… Here's how to find them... On The Hawaii State Legislature's website, click on the "Reports and Lists" icon that appears near center screen. You'll be interested in the first two links that appear on the right: House Bills with Action Taken in 2015 Only Senate Bills with Action... Read More 2015 Session has Started! Where are the Bills?...