In last week’s column, I wrote about the Legislature’s conference process, which started officially on Monday. To briefly summarize, the conference period is the final phase of the bill-making process. It’s also a black hole where bills mysteriously disappear or transform before heading to the governor’s desk.

As usual, it’s off to a slow start, with the first hearings scheduled for Thursday. But the process tends to behave like a runaway train. So, with that in mind, I want to highlight 12 bills I’m watching as conference committee season picks up speed next week. 

Three Commonsense Bills I Wish Were Already Law

1. Senate Bill 372 requires law enforcement officers to intervene and report if another law enforcement officer is using unnecessary or excessive force on an arrestee. Given global issues with police brutality, it’s unbelievable that we don’t already have this bill enshrined into law.

2. Anyone who has had to book an appointment to renew their driver’s license in the last five years won’t need this explained. Senate Bill 1166 would FINALLY allow for the renewal of driver’s licenses online or by mail.

3. Senate Bill 1493 would prohibit a lobbyist from donating to an elected official or expending money on behalf of an elected official during the legislative session and shortly before and after. Last year, the Legislature banned fundraisers during the session, but it hasn’t kept donors from attempting to influence policymaking. This bill is another step in the right direction.

Three Key Bills That Would Improve Our Quality Of Life

1. The Hawaii healthy food incentive program, also known as DA BUX Double Up Food Bucks, provides SNAP recipients with a dollar-for-dollar match on locally produced fruits and vegetables. House Bill 1248 would fund this triple-win, which doubles SNAP recipients’ spending power, expands local farmers markets and keeps money in the state.

2. Senate Bill 224 gives law enforcement a much-needed tool to cite noise nuisances that don’t rise to the level of a criminal offense by allowing counties to create “noise-control” ordinances with infractions that would be processed like a traffic ticket. 

3. Senate Bill 63 allows the Board of Nursing to issue temporary six-month permits for an out-of-state licensed practical nurse or registered practical nurse under certain circumstances, including a health care emergency like the coronavirus pandemic.

Three Bills That Should Pass, Though I Wish We Didn’t Need Them

1. Senate Bill 141 requires presidential electors to pledge to vote for their party’s nominee and invalidates the vote of anyone who doesn’t comply. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need to force electors to abide by voters’ choices, but fidelity is not guaranteed.

2. House Bill 552 removes the ability of the governor or a mayor to suspend electronic media transmission during a state of emergency. This power could be a violation of free speech and a dangerous tool if we elect an unscrupulous executive.

3. The Supreme Court’s alarming New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v. Bruen received less attention than it deserved due to the court’s next-day decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

The Bruen case invalidated gun laws across the country, declaring that discretionary licensing systems like Hawaii’s violate second amendment rights. Senate Bill 1230 would re-tighten Hawaii’s gun laws with a program that complies with the ruling.

Three Bills That Give Me Pause

1. Senate Bill 1005, which would establish state-run presidential preference primary elections to replace Hawaii’s current party-run system, sounds great in theory because our current system is tricky to negotiate.

When I worked with the Democratic Party to build a plan for Hawaii’s 2020 Presidential Preference Poll in 2018, the Democratic National Committee made clear it wants states to move toward state-run presidential primaries that can more easily provide voter security and broad access. Yet, Hawaii’s constitution requires state-run elections to be open to voters of any party.

Next session, legislators should consider a constitutional amendment to allow a closed primary or an alternative solution to ensure party members have sole agency to pick their presidential candidates.

2. One of my biggest concerns this session is House Bill 1156, which would require the Attorney General’s Office to help petitioners file assisted community treatment petitions.

This bill would make it easier to commit and medicate a person experiencing a mental health crisis against their will. On its own, the ACT program is controversial because it limits a person’s individual rights and bodily autonomy.

When it was established in 2013, legislators, including myself, made a tradeoff between those rights and the need for public safety and the care for individuals who might be acting against their best interest due to mental illness. However, I worry that making it easier to implement an ACT increases the potential for abuse.

3. Similarly, House Bill 950 would extend the time period that an assisted community treatment order can last before a new court order must be obtained. As a result, court reviews of an assisted community treatment petition could happen less often. Given the impact on a person’s bodily autonomy, any reduction in oversight should be a last resort.

These bills represent a small fraction of the important measures and topics under consideration in the final weeks of the 2023 legislative session. There are, at least, three bills dealing with noise, various accountability proposals and a bill to designate official state limu, to name a few.

To keep track of the bills that most interest you, visit the Legislature’s conference measures page where you’ll see bill statuses and assigned committee members for all conference legislation.