HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1582

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE I, SECTION 2, OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII TO INCLUDE ACCESS TO CLEAN DRINKING WATER, EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE AMONG THE INHERENT AND INALIENABLE RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the future health of the people and economy of this state and country depend upon individual access to basic necessities including clean water, healthcare, and education.

     The legislature finds the United States is the wealthiest country in the world, yet our critical resources have been compromised.  In cities such as Flint, Michigan, access to clean water has been cut off to local residents for over a year.  In towns around the country fresh water wells have been contaminated by chemical discharge from fossil fuel fracking extraction.  In Hawaii, cesspools and leaking underground fuel tanks have begun to contaminate fresh water resources, and significant potential for further contamination remains.

     The legislature further finds that the United Nations has declared education a fundamental human right, and today a quality education is a critical asset for individuals and economies competing in a globalized world.  Yet, our nation has been ranked among the lowest of all developed nations in education.  In 2015 American students placed 40th in math, 24th in reading, and 25th in science in the worldwide Program International Student Assessment.  Hawaii ranks nearly last among the states.

     The legislature finds the United States has the most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet has been ranked as providing the worst healthcare outcomes of any developed nation.  Prices for medication are significantly more expensive in the United States than for the same medication in any other country.  And despite the success of the Affordable Care Act reducing the uninsured rate to below 10 percent, one in ten Americans still do not have healthcare coverage.  As a result countless families have been bankrupted by medical bills, and the life expectancy of the millennial generation has declined to below that of their parents.

     The legislature further finds that bold steps must be taken to address these pressing issues.  In his 1944 State of the Union Address, President Franklin D. Roosevelt called for a "second bill of rights" which included the individual rights to "adequate medical care" and a "good education."  Today most modern western nations include the individual right to healthcare, education and clean water in their constitutions.  Acting to address these priorities has enabled cheaper and more effective healthcare, produced better educational outcomes, and has meant fewer communities left without access to clean water.

     The purpose of this Constitutional Amendment is to allow the people of Hawaii an opportunity to affirm the importance of access to basic necessities for themselves and future generations, provide guidance to elected leaders to boldly address these growing challenges, and ensure the individual rights of all people to clean drinking water, meaningful healthcare, and a quality education.

     SECTION 2.  Article I, section 2, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii is amended to read as follows:

"RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS

     Section 2.  All persons are free by nature and are equal in their inherent and inalienable rights.  Among these rights are the enjoyment of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness[, and] the acquiring and possessing of property[.], and access to clean drinking water, meaningful health care, and a quality education.  These rights cannot endure unless the people recognize their corresponding obligations and responsibilities."

     SECTION 3.  The question to be printed on the ballot shall be as follows:

     "Shall the state constitution be amended to ensure that access to clean water, meaningful health care, and a quality education are among the inherent and inalienable rights of individuals?"

     SECTION 4.  Constitutional material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New constitutional material is underscored.

     SECTION 5.  This amendment shall take effect upon compliance with        of the Constitution of the State of Hawaii.



 

Report Title:

Constitutional Amendment; Individual Rights; Clean Water; Education; Health Care

 

Description:

Proposes a constitutional amendment to ensure access to clean drinking water, meaningful health care, and a quality education are among the inherent and inalienable rights of individuals.  (HB1582 HD1)

 

 

 

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