The 2024 Hawaiʻi legislative session is in the home stretch, also known as conference committee.
During the session, bills that were approved in the House or the Senate crossed over to the opposite chamber where legislators were allowed to amend the bill before returning it.
From April 15 to 26, legislators from both chambers will meet in conference committee to hash out their differences and discuss the exact wording for a final bill.
The Public Access Room offers information on what to expect and how citizens can advocate and remain involved.
If the non-originating chamber has no amendments, there's no problem. But PAR said that 88% of bills in 2013 were changed in their non-originating chamber. Of those, the originating chamber disagreed with 98% of those changes.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Not all bills will have conferees. The House speaker and Senate president appoint the members of the conference committees. It's usually the chair of the subject matter committee from each chamber.
- The first conference committee meeting must give 24-hour notice. But if they reconvene, they can just announce times and locations without much notice.
- Conference meetings operate differently than committee hearings from earlier in the session. Only the chairs will likely speak, and the discussion will revolve around reaching an agreement.
- The public cannot testify during conference committee, though the meetings are open to the public and streamed on YouTube. While you cannot submit testimony, you can still reach out to conference committee members to discuss bills.
- Keanu Young of the Public Access Room said even though it is one conference committee, it is easier to think of them as two committees — one each for the House and the Senate. Votes are taken separately and each committee must meet its chamber's quorum rules.
- Deadlines: The executive budget must be discussed in conference by April 22, non-fiscal bills by April 25, and fiscal bills by April 26. To pass the Legislature on its way to the governor, a bill must pass a final reading by sine die, May 3.
A page on the legislative website stays updated with House and Senate conferees assigned to various bills.
