HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	16
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

STRONGLY URGING the LEGISLATURE to post all amendments made to bills and resolutions online immediately in instanceS when hard copies of the amendments or amended legislation are distributed at committee hearings.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, transparency is government's obligation to share information with citizens, and it is as the heart of how citizens holds their public officials accountable; and

 

     WHEREAS, a more transparent government begins with providing the people the opportunity to tell their elected officials what they think of a piece of legislation, before it comes up for a vote; and

 

     WHEREAS, giving the people adequate time to review and comment on proposed bills and legislation will improve the quality of legislation and enhance trust in government; and

 

     WHEREAS, legislation is often amended before it finally passes out of the legislature, and citizens must have an opportunity to examine the amendments in depth; and

 

     WHEREAS, occasionally before an amended bill is voted on by a committee, the committee chair or another committee members will distribute hard copies of proposed amendments or copies of a proposed amended bill to committee members before a vote; and

 

     WHEREAS, when hard copies of the proposed amendments or amended legislation are distributed to the committee, they are not readily available to the public unless an individual goes through the extra effort of contacting the committee chair's office to obtain a copy; and

 

     WHEREAS, when a proposed amended bill is made available in hard copy in a capitol office or distributed at a hearing, it should also be posted online immediately for citizens to access electronically; and

 

     WHEREAS, when hard copies of proposed amended legislation are distributed to committee members before a vote, it is clear these amendments have been made in advance of the hearing and this practice undermines transparency because by doing this, the committee is moving forward with text that has not been available for public review and comment before its passage out of the committee; and

 

     WHEREAS, in instances when proposed amended legislation is prepared before a hearing, the proposed bill should be made available online to the public before the hearing on that bill so the public has the opportunity to make comments on the proposed amended bill at the hearing; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate concurring, that the legislature is strongly urged to post a hardcopy of proposed amendments or proposed amended legislation online immediately following the conclusion of the hearing, when such amendments are distributed at a public hearing; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that whenever proposed amendments or proposed amended legislation has been prepared before a hearing, those proposed changes must be posted online before the hearing on that legislation; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, and the respective leaders and floor leaders of the House and Senate Majority and Minority Caucuses.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________
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Report Title: 

Online posting of amended legislation; strongly urging