The Legislative Process - A Process Of The People
Frequently Asked Questions
- When does the Legislature convene? And how long is a legislative session?
- When does each house of the Legislature meet?
- When do the standing committees of the House and Senate meet?
- Can I use the internet to retrieve the text of bills and other documents electronically?
- How can I get on a committee's mailing, fax, or e-mail list?
- Where do I obtain copies of bills and resolutions if I do not have internet access? Is there a charge for copies?
- How can I get information on the status of a bill or resolution?
- How do I submit testimony for a public hearing?
- While I am at the State Capitol, are there any work areas available for me to use to prepare testimony or to organize my materials?
- Are there any services for the physically challenged during public hearings of the Legislature?
- Where can I park if I want to visit the State Capitol?
When does the Legislature convene? And how long is a legislative session?
According to Article III, Section 10 of the Hawaii State Constitution, "The legislature shall convene annually in regular session at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on the third Wednesday in January." Regular sessions are limited to a period of 60 working days, which exclude Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, and designated recess days.
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When does each house of the Legislature meet?
Generally, the floor sessions of each house of the Legislature take place at either 11:30 a.m. or 12:00 noon daily during the regular session unless otherwise ordered by the House Speaker or Senate President. Floor sessions are held in the respective house chambers, located on the entry level of the State Capitol.
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When do the standing committees of the House and Senate meet?
The House morning bracket standing committees ("B" bracket committees) usually begin their meetings at 8:30 a.m. on their designated meeting days and 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays, if necessary. And the afternoon bracket standing committees ("A" bracket committees) usually meet at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on their designated meeting days and 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays, if necessary.
The Senate "A" bracket standing committees usually begin their meetings at 8:30 a.m., Monday through Friday. Senate "B" bracket standing committees usually meet at 1:15 p.m. or 2:45 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The Senate "C" bracket committees usually meet on Tuesday and Thursday at 1:15 p.m. or 2:45 p.m. and may meet on Saturdays at the same time, if necessary.
House and Senate committees convene in accordance with hearing notices issued at least 48 hours prior to each committee hearing.
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Can I use the internet to retrieve the text of bills and other documents electronically?
Yes. For access to legislative information, log on to the Hawaii State Legislature website at: www.capitol.hawaii.gov.
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How can I get on a committee's mailing, fax, or e-mail list?
An e-mail notification system is available through the Hawaii State Legislature website at www.capitol.hawaii.gov. Click on the link "Bill Status & Docs". Then click on "Hearing Notices by e-mail". If you do not have internet access, you may call or write a letter to the appropriate committee chair's office to be placed on the committee's mailing list. The Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Office also provides delivery of testimony via fax. Please contact the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms at (808) 586-6725 to be placed on the committee's mailing or fax list.
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Free copies of House bills and resolutions can be obtained by contacting:
SESSION (January through April)
House Printshop
State Capitol, Room 012B
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Saturday 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Phone: Oahu 586-6590 or 586-6591 Neighbor Islands 1-800-468-4644, and press "66590" or "66591"
INTERIM (May through December)
House Chief Clerk's Office
State Capitol, Room 027
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM Phone: Oahu 586-6400 Neighbor Islands 1-800-468-4644, and press "66400"
The public must call the House Printshop at least 24 hours in advance for orders of legislative bills, resolutions, or committee reports. Document requests will be filled in the order that they are received and must be picked up on the specified day and time. However, this service will not be available during deadline periods.
Free copies of Senate bills and resolutions can be obtained by contacting:
SESSION (January through April)
Senate Printshop
State Capitol, Room 012A
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM (closed on holidays) Saturday: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM (subject to change) Phone: Oahu: 586-6755 Neighbor Islands 1-800-468-4644, and press "66755"
INTERIM (May through December)
Senate Printshop
State Capitol, Room 012A
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Phone: Oahu: 586-6755 Neighbor Islands: 1-800-468-4644, and press "66755"
The public may obtain copies of legislation from the Senate Printshop through its service window during normal hours of operation.
Also, both houses will FAX legislative documents to individuals, organizations, and government agencies. A maximum of ten pages will be faxed per request. Requests for faxed copies to out-of-state fax numbers will be made if a toll-free number is provided. Contact the House or Senate Printshop to request a faxed document.
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How can I get information on the status of a bill or resolution?
To obtain online information on the status of measures, log on to the Hawaii State Legislature website at: www.capitol.hawaii.gov and click on "Bill Status & Docs" and follow the directions. If you don't know the bill number you can find it using a "text search."
If you know the measure's committee referral you may wish to contact the committee chair's office. You may also contact your district representative or senator, the House Chief Clerk's Office for House measures (586-6400), or the Senate Chief Clerk's Office for Senate measures (586-6720). You may also call the Public Access Room at the phone numbers listed in item 9 below. From the Neighbor Islands call 1-800-468-4644, then press the last five digits of the phone number of the office that you wish to contact.
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How do I submit testimony for a public hearing?
For the House, testimony should be delivered to the committee vice-chair's office or faxed to the number provided on the committee's hearing notice. Additionally, testimony for the House can be emailed to the lead committee's email address (please see pgs. 23 - 24 for House Committee testimony email addresses).
For the Senate, testimony should be delivered to the committee chair's office. Additionally, testimony for the Senate may be emailed to Testimony@capitol.hawaii.gov or it may be faxed to 586-6659 (Neighbor Islands: 1-800-586-6659).
Please deliver or email testimony at LEAST 24 hours prior to the scheduled public hearing even if you plan to be at the hearing.
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The Public Access Room located in Room 401 of the State Capitol is equipped with computer terminals, copies of legislative documents, reference materials, a fax machine, telephones, a Telecommunications Device for the Deaf/text teletypewriter (TDD/TTY) telephone (587-0749), and a copy machine. Copies can also be made in the Legislative Information Systems Office located in room 413 of the State Capitol.
The Public Access Room hours during the 2007 legislative session are:
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Saturdays: 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Public Access Room staff holds classes on the legislative process, reading legislative documents, writing and presenting testimony, and using relevant legislative websites. To obtain a class schedule or to request special training for your group or organization, call:
Oahu: 587-0478 Neighbor Islands: 1-800-468-4644 and press "70478"
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Are there any services for the physically challenged during public hearings of the Legislature?
If you require special assistance or auxiliary aids and/or services to participate in the public hearings of the Legislature (e.g., a sign language interpreter, wheelchair accessibility, or parking designated for the disabled), contact the committee clerk of the particular committee that is holding the hearing at least 24 hours before the hearing. There is also a TDD/TTY in the Public Access Room. For TDD/TTY services, call 587-0749.
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Where can I park if I want to visit the State Capitol?
There are limited metered parking stalls in the State Capitol underground parking garage (accessible via Miller Street off of Punchbowl Street). Be sure to park only in the metered stalls. All other stalls are assigned to government officials and their staffs. Unauthorized vehicles are subject to towing at the owner's expense. If the public metered parking at the State Capitol is full, you may want to check the outdoor metered stalls on the nearby Iolani Palace grounds, accessible from the mauka side of King Street, right before the Hawaii State Library. There is also limited metered street parking on Punchbowl Street and Richards Street.