To the Hawai’i State Legislature,

We, the undersigned residents of Hawai’i, respectfully call upon the members of the Hawai’i State Legislature to make important changes to improve transparency, accountability, and fairness in how our laws are made. We call on the Hawai’i House and Senate, and whoever its next leaders may be, to adopt the following five policies and five processes.

Procedure: We urge the Legislature to make the following changes to the House and Senate Rules in advance of the 2025 Legislative Session —
1. Testimony Transparency: Each committee shall make all testimony it receives immediately available for public review – at least 22 hours before the hearing, and at least 2 hours before hearing for “late” testimony;
2. Committee Vote Transparency: Each committee shall vote on the disposition of all bills referred to the committee and shall not use “deferrals,” as a means of hiding committee member positions on bills;
3. Amendment Transparency: Amendments to bills must be in the possession of all committee legislators before the amended version of the bill can be voted on;
4. Streamlined Bill Referrals: Bills that do not create or expend funds (non-fiscal bills) shall not be referred to Finance or Ways and Means committees, to curtail the outsized power of these committee chairs; and
5. Chair and Leadership Term Limits: Enact term limits on Chair and Leadership Positions to curb the outsized and corrupting power that such positions can accumulate over time.

Policy: We further urge the Legislature to pass the following laws during the 2025 Legislative Session —
1. Resource Campaign Spending Enforcement: Fully fund the Campaign Spending Commission to ensure they have sufficient resources and discrete staff to both adequately support grassroots candidates and enforce violations;
2. Enact Full Publicly Financed Elections: Enact a viable, comprehensive full public financing option for candidates and update the partial public financing amounts to meet the demands of modern campaigns;
3. End Pay-to-Play: Prohibit campaign contributions from officers, owners, and senior staff of government contractors, and those persons’ immediate family members;
4. Stop Candidate Interference In Campaigns: Prohibit the transferring of campaign contributions to other candidate campaigns; and
5. Automatic Voter Registration: Enact true automatic voter registration by switching to an “opt-out” system to remove another barrier to voting and increase participation.

We believe that implementing these reforms will bolster the legislative process, enhance efficiency, and rebuild public trust. Transparent budgeting, efficient committee referrals, and thoughtful evaluation of bills are crucial for good governance and successful representation.

Thank you for your serious consideration of these recommendations. Together, we can create a legislative process that truly serves the people of Hawai’i. We look forward to working with you to bring about positive change and build a brighter future for Hawai’i.

Sincerely,