We’re in the homestretch!

Some dates to keep in mind…

April 25^th: Last day to file Non-Fiscal Bills to deck for Final Reading

April 26^th:  Last day to file Fiscal Bills to deck for Final Reading

May 2^nd:  Adjournment sine die (Session pau! Come to 401 for our End-of-Session Potluck 12 noon -2 p.m.)

Governor’s Deadlines:

June 24^th:  Notice of intent to veto deadline (35^th day after adjournment sine die)

July 9^th:  Veto deadline (45^th day after adjournment sine die)

Questions? Call or email PAR (808/587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov).

 

It’s Conference Time!

The legislators are meeting to come up with the final form of bills to send off to the governor. Here are a few resources to help make it easier to follow things during conference.

• The Public Access Room has a new information sheet that provides an overview to conference. It’s creatively titled, “Conference Committee Information,” and can be found on the Information Sheets page of their website (http://hawaii.gov/lrb/par).

• The Legislature’s webmasters have set you up with a great “Conference Committees” page: From the homepage (www.capitol.hawaii.gov) click on “Reports and Lists” and then select “Conference Committees” from the bars on your left. You’ll find easy links to help find conference notices, action sheets and conferees.

• View the “2013 Joint Conference Procedures” — they can be found by clicking on the “Legislative Information” link on the right‐hand side of the homepage.

As always, contact the Public Access Room (PAR) if you have questions or would like additional information. They’re happy to help you out!

(808/587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov)

“Second verse, Same as the first!”

Second Decking

Friday, April 5^th is the Second Decking deadline. That’s the date by which a bill must be filed with the non-originating chamber’s Clerk for 3^rd reading.  

The Hawaii Constitution, Article III, Section 15 states in part, “No bill shall become law unless it shall pass three readings in each house on separate days.  No bill shall pass third or final reading in either house unless printed copies of the bill in the form to be passed shall have been made available to the members of that house for at least forty-eight hours.” The decking deadline ensures bills meet this 48-hour requirement prior to the especially critical third reading.  What does this mean if your bill is currently sitting in committee? To survive, it must be passed and reported out of its last committee in time to meet the Second Decking deadline.

After a bill is decked, it must pass third reading on or before the next deadline, Second Crossover. This year, April 11^th is the Second Crossover deadline.  

Budget Worksheets are Posted

The budget worksheets have been posted on the Legislature’s website, www. capitol.hawaii.gov. (On the right-hand side of the page, select “Legislative Information” and then the “Budget Worksheets” for 2013.)

The worksheets provide detail and explanation of the changes made from the previous version of the bills. Interested in the changes the House made to the Executive Budget submitted by the Governor? Click on the HB200 HD1 Worksheets and explore.

If you’re interested in the Judiciary Budget, click on the HB197 HD2 Worksheets. For the OHA budget, you’ll want to dive into the HB222 HD2 Worksheets.

For more information and the full text of any of these bills, visit their Bill Status pages. Need assistance? Contact PAR at 587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov.

Diving into the Budget

To help make sense of the budget discussions next week, the Public Access Room’s posted its latest information sheet – Budget Overview.

Budget Decking is Monday, March 11th, and Budget Crossover is Wednesday, March 13th. (Check out the 2013 Session Calendar for other upcoming deadlines.)

 

First Crossover — Time to take a Fresh Look

March 7th is the deadline for bills (other than the budget) to crossover to the other chamber for consideration. It’s a great time to take a look at what’s still alive.

How? Just go to the Legislature’s website (www.capitol.hawaii.gov), click on “Reports and Lists” and under the “First Crossover” section view the Senate Bills Crossed Over to the House or the House Bills Crossed Over to the Senate.

Why? Due to amendments made along the way, the bills alive may be quite different than those introduced at the beginning of session. First Crossover is an excellent time to take a look at what’s up for discussion during this next period.

And Second Decking comes quickly. April 5th is the deadline for bills to be filed for Third Reading in their non-originating chamber.

First Lateral — 58% Survive!

Last Friday, February 15th, was the First Lateral deadline — now all bills must be in the last committee to which they’ve been referred in their originating chamber. Otherwise, barring extraordinary measures, they’re dead. (Or, more accurately, “zombified” until next year’s session.) 

You can take a look at which’ve survived — and how they’ve morphed — by going to the “Reports and Lists” page on the Legislature’s website (http://capitol.hawaii.gov). Just click on the first link under the “First Lateral” bar — you’ll view a report of all the bills that have survived the deadline.

There are 1,613 bills listed, but it’s pretty easy to scroll through or search the descriptions to make sure you’re up-to-date on what’s under discussion. Next step? To survive, all the bills have to get through their last committee in their originating chamber and be filed for third reading by March 1st, the First Decking deadline.

Call or email PAR (587-0478 or par@capitol.hawaii.gov) if you have questions or would like additional information. They’re always happy to help!