If you’re tracking Hawaii’s legislative session, you’ve seen more resolutions popping up on House and Senate agendas lately.

Resolutions are an expression of the Legislature’s will without the force of law. In other words, most resolutions are just strongly worded suggestions. 

In January, legislators introduced a total of 881 resolutions, though over half of those are companion or duplicate measures. Their topics range from asking Microsoft for a local data center to designating Nov. 22, 2023 “Kimchi Day” in Hawaii in honor of the 120th anniversary of Korean immigration to the state.

Most resolutions focus on in-state governance. They encourage the governor to make investigations, they ask departments to form task forces, and they request that counties consider a recommendation. These resolutions often stem from an idea that failed to gain enough support to pass in bill form. If the Legislature wanted to make any of those tasks a priority, they could simply pass a law requiring them. 

However, because they’re not actually forcing anyone to do anything, resolutions can take aim at most topics, issues, and entities that fall outside the legislature’s scope of authority. A resolution is the most influence state lawmakers can wield on departments, organizations, and governments outside of Hawaii. 

For this reason, keeping an eye on legislators’ national and international recommendations can give us broader insight into their interests, opinions and concerns. This year, over 60 measures were directed toward entities outside of Hawaii, and of those measures, resolutions relating to the U.S. Armed Forces, international affairs and the U.S. Congress were the most common.

U.S. Armed Forces

One-quarter of this year’s resolutions targeting national issues are addressed to United States Armed Forces. Four of them request that the military relocate all live fire training and aviation activities from the Puuloa Range Training Facility.

As House Resolution 104 explains, the noise pollution presents an ongoing disturbance and health risk for the Ewa Beach community, who endure the sounds of persistent live fire drills beginning at 7 a.m. Citing false alarm school lockdowns, hearing loss and lead contamination among other harms, the House is poised to pass the resolution this week.

The House is also asking the U.S. military to stop the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals,” known to cause a variety of health issues, including elevated blood pressure in pregnant women, behavioral changes and cancer. The Senate passed a similar resolution that creates a working group on the topic. The measures are an important statement in light of the fuel leaks at the U.S. Navy’s Red Hill facility. 

Additional requests of the U.S. Armed Forces range from seemingly benign suggestions that military bases in Hawaii fly the state flag to more controversial demands like permanently canceling the international Rim of the Pacific Exercises in Hawaii. Neither measure gained enough traction with the House or Senate to pass. 

International Affairs

Like many governing bodies worldwide, House legislators considered multiple measures to address the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A resolution designating Feb. 24, 2023 as “Remember Ukraine Day in Hawaii” passed on March 30, making the commemoration retrospective.

The House is also considering a resolution urging the government of Japan to refrain from dumping Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, stating that there is “insufficient evidence that the release would be safe.” Given the potential disruption to our Pacific Ocean ecosystem, Hawaii lawmakers along with our Oceania neighbors are rightly raising concerns.

Legislators also weighed in on issues like recognizing the early 20th century genocide against Assyrians, building a partnership with the Netherlands and supporting Taiwan’s membership in international organizations. 

U.S. Congress

In addition to suggesting international or military action, state legislators directed approximately 15% of their national-level resolutions to the U.S. Congress. This year, House and Senate members’ resolutions touched on a broad range of topics that often mirrored their bill priorities. 

For example, Hawaii’s high housing costs rank high on the Legislature’s to do list, and as they search for solutions, they’re asking Hawaii’s congressional delegation for help. In Senate Concurrent Resolution 55, legislators urge their federal colleagues to support legislation that would allow Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funds to be used to build transitional supportive housing and affordable rental housing. 

Legislators have also requested congressional support in facilitating a path to citizenship for immigrants from parties to the Compact of Free Association, protecting access to safe abortions and advancing national carbon fee and dividend legislation. 

And, perhaps most interesting of all, the Senate is moving a resolution that asks Congress to consider the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence technologies. After outlining the dangers presented by artificial intelligence, the resolution explains that its contents were drafted by an AI program in response to the prompt, “write an essay explaining the dangers of artificial intelligence.” The resolution, which is currently passing in the Senate, also suggests that Congress adopt universal safety guidelines, referencing foundational science fiction author Isaac Asimov’s three rules of robotics. 

As I said, reading their resolutions can reveal a lot about a legislator’s interests. And, if you want to learn more about the process, the Capitol’s Public Access Room provides an easy-to-follow summary that I highly recommend.