We've uploaded a presentation that may be helpful as we enter into the conference period. And Then There Was Conference... Video (24:46) Join Keanu Young as he walks you through the conference process. As legislators try to decide on final versions of the bills that they want to send off to the governor, no more public testimony is accepted. But... Read More Video on the Conference Process...
The 2024 Regular Session is just around the corner (it opens on Wednesday, January 17, at 10:00 a.m.). Register for one of the Public Access Room's training sessions and learn more about advocacy, the legislature's website, and the session calendar's deadlines. Use Your Voice at the Legislature Our free “Your Voice” training focuses on advocacy at the State Capitol. We’ll... Read More Sign Up for a Training Session!...
The last five bills on the Governor's desk became law without his signature on July 11, 2023. So we've got a final count: 263 bills became acts of law this year, out of a total of 3,132 bills that were introduced. (That's about 8.4%.) View the new laws here: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/advreports/advreport.aspx?year=2023&report=deadline&rpt_type=gov_acts&measuretype=HB,SB&title=Acts Read More Final Count for 2023 Regular Session...
Wondering what happens next for the hundreds of bills on the Governor's desk? Wondering when you'll know whether the bill becomes law? You may have to wait -- we may not know the fate of some of them until July 11, 2023! If a bill introduced during the 2023 Regular Session did not pass out of the Legislature, it carries... Read More Next Step for Bills That Passed Legislature...
Final reading votes for 170 bills are scheduled for tomorrow (session at 10a). The fiscal filing deadline has been extended until 6p tonight, May 1, which means there should be more to come! The Senate President and House Speaker have extended the deadline to file the fiscal bills and committee reports that were agreed upon by Friday's 6 p.m. deadline... Read More Extension of Decking Deadline...
The governor signed 17 more bills into law yesterday -- they cover a wide range of subjects, from Hawaiian Independence Day, lobbyist training, anger management... to all sorts of things! (These bills avoided conference since they weren't changed by the non-originating chamber.) Find all of the 2023 Acts to date on the Legislature's "Reports and Lists" page -- scroll down... Read More 27 Acts of Law so Far...
Stay abreast of assignments, meetings, and all things conference by selecting the "Conference Committees" bar on the "Reports and Lists" page. You'll find it in the fourth gray box on the Legislature's homepage (https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/). Questions? Contact PAR 808/587-0478 or [email protected]. Read More Conference!...
If you missed our workshops on the conference stage of the legislative process, you can view the 4/12/2023 session here: Conference Workshop Video Some Helpful Information Conference, when the House and Senate will attempt to come to agreement on the final draft of hundreds of bills, will take place this year between Monday, 4/17, and Friday, 4/28. The conference procedures... Read More Conference Workshop Video...
It's that time of year! The conference period (this year, April 17 - April 28) is when select legislators meet to determine whether and in what form surviving legislation should be presented for a final vote in each chamber. Conference meetings are open to the public, but the whole process can be a bit confusing. Join us over Zoom to... Read More Zoom Workshop on the Conference Process...
Get ready for session and learn more about getting involved at the State legislature! You can sign up for one of our Zoom workshops by emailing us at [email protected] or calling 808/587-0478. "Your Voice": Tuesday, January 11, 5:00 p.m. Overview of the legislature and how to add your voice to the process"The Bill to Law Process": Wednesday, January 19, 5:00... Read More Upcoming Workshops...