Anyone who has followed a bill through Hawaii’s Legislature knows that the process is crying out for major improvements. The broken legislative process hurts people because bills that should have been passed, that looked like they were set to pass, became casualties of the end-of-session chaos. We, the people, have a right to expect our elected leaders to serve the public good, not special interests. Are our expectations being met?
Ten public interest organizations have asked House and Senate leadership for three reforms that we believe would increase transparency and public input, improve lawmakers’ efficiency, and pave the way for good bills to become laws.
Not surprisingly, our recommendations focus on the “money committees” — Finance in the House, and Ways and Means in the Senate — and the dreaded conference committees at the end of each session. Conference committees are widely known as the place “where bills go to die.”
First: Pass the base budget a month before the session concludes. Several critical bills became casualties of the rushed budgetary process this year. Four bills addressing mental health on which there was concurrence did not survive the mayhem. (Three of the four did not even ask for money.) By providing ample time for legislators, the media, and the public to review and provide input, we can foster an inclusive and well-informed decision-making process.
Second: End the pointless practice of sending bills to the money committees every year that have little or nothing to do with money. Voters would like to believe that this bad practice isn’t driven by a desire to kill bills without leaving anyone’s fingerprints. It keeps the committees from focusing on bills that actually require their expertise. Leadership should only send bills requiring funding to the money committees. Don’t send them non-money bills.
Third: Stop requiring bills with even the tiniest difference between Senate and House versions to be reconciled by a House-Senate conference committee. This dooms hundreds of bills, even though they have already passed muster in as many as six other committees, and three times in both the House and Senate. At the very least, conference committees should be transparent and open to the public.
Years ago, one of us called my representative to complain that he had missed a conference committee vote. He said that at the time the committee met, he had also been scheduled to attend eight other conference committee meetings. Eight. Is anyone paying attention to the futility of this process? Is anyone mindful of how voters are being short-changed if their representatives are effectively kept from doing their job? This charade must end.
This past session, our 76 lawmakers introduced 3,132 bills. Just 274 were passed and 263 were signed into law. If lawmakers want voters to believe that they aren’t being frivolous about the bills they introduce, they should be willing to extend the legislative session as needed to properly consider good bills.
Our current legislative process hurts not only the most vulnerable in our community but our working-class families who cannot match the lobbying and deep pockets of corporate interests. Unless reforms are made, we will continue to see more of our families and young people leave Hawaii.
These reforms can be made by the next session. If you agree that transparent budgeting, efficient committee referrals, and thoughtful evaluation of bills are crucial for good governance and successful representation, please urge your representatives to support these changes.
Finally, please encourage others to vote. It’s the only way that we improve our chances of getting leaders who are serious about actually representing their constituents’ interests.
Community activist Brodie Lockard, top, has been on the board of Common Cause Hawaii since 2014; Sergio Alcubilla is the executive director of the Hawaii Workers Center.
