THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

2

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE RESOLUTION

 

AMENDING THE RULES OF THE SENATE TO REQUIRE REFERRAL OF BILLS BASED ON THE JURISDICTION OF COMMITTEES AS DESCRIBED IN THE RULES.

 

WHEREAS, it has been the common practice in the Senate to refer bills to its committees based on the description of committee jurisdictions listed in Senate Rule 17, although there is no such requirement in the rules of the Senate; and

WHEREAS, this practice in the Senate has been so consistent that the public has come to expect adherence to it as an unwritten rule, and strong criticism have been levied by citizens when they perceive a bill has been inappropriately referred; and

WHEREAS, Special Committee Report No. 1, submitted pursuant to S.R. 147 on December 22, 2003, made reference to testimony submitted to the committee indicating that "the process of bill referral should be clarified in the interests of informing the public of what actually occurs", and it provided an alternative rule amendment "to ensure that the bill is referred to the appropriate committee with jurisdiction over the substance of the bill"; and

WHEREAS, the purpose of this resolution is to amend the rules of the Senate to require that bills be referred to committees based upon the jurisdiction of committees described in the Rules; and

WHEREAS, the rules of the Senate may be amended pursuant to Senate Rule 86, with one day's notice of the change, by a majority vote of the members of the Senate; and

WHEREAS, this resolution was filed in the Senate Clerk's Office on the Opening Day of the 2004 Legislative Session in order for it to be considered by the Senate on the next session day, January 22, because the proposed rule change affects bills

currently in the process of being referred; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, that Senate Rule 46(3) be amended to read as follows (proposed changes underlined and deletions bracketed and stricken):

Each such bill shall be referred by members of the majority leadership appointed by the President to one or more appropriate Leadership or Standing Committees [for consideration.] based upon the jurisdiction of the committees as described in Senate Rule 17.;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the Senate shall distribute Senate Rule 46(3), as amended by this resolution, to all Senators and revise the Senate Rules on the Senate's website to reflect this amendment.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Senate Rule Amendments