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ASSOCIATED PRESS
FILE - In this Friday, May 13, 2011 file photo, a man sleeps on the ground near Waikiki Beach, in Honolulu. The Honolulu City Council is preparing to expand a ban on sitting and lying down on sidewalks beyond the tourist mecca in Waikiki. A bill to be taken up Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014, by the council would add pockets of commercial districts throughout Oahu to the zones where reclining on sidewalks is prohibited. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia, File)
A final vote on a bill expanding the city’s sit-lie ordinance beyond Waikiki and into business districts in other parts of Oahu was deferred by the Honolulu City Council Wednesday.
Four of the nine Council members said they wanted more time to digest Bill 48’s latest draft, which incorporates the boundaries of three Council districts.
Six Council votes were necessary to move the latest draft out, which essentially would have waived a standard internal Council rule that requires new drafts of bills to “sit” for 48 hours before a vote can be taken.
Among those opposed to moving the bill forward Wednesday was Councilman Ron Menor, the bill’s original author, who has warned repeatedly that additional areas added into the bill by his colleagues could make the measure unconstitutional.
Others opposed to moving the bill forward immediately were members Brandon Elefante, Joey Manahan and Kymberly Pine.
Opponents of the sit-lie measure argue that it criminalizes homelessness and diverts efforts away from providing shelter.
