REPORT TITLE:
Session Extensions Prohibited


DESCRIPTION:
Proposes an amendment to article III, section 10, of the Hawaii
Constitution, to prohibit extensions of regular sessions of the
legislature.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        2233
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE III, SECTION 10, OF THE HAWAII
   CONSTITUTION, TO PROHIBIT EXTENSIONS OF REGULAR SESSIONS OF
   THE LEGISLATURE.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The purpose of this Act is to propose an
 
 2 amendment to article III, section 10, of the Constitution of the
 
 3 State of Hawaii to prohibit the extension of regular sessions of
 
 4 the legislature by repealing the provision allowing the
 
 5 legislature or the governor to extend a regular session beyond
 
 6 sixty days.  This Act allows only special sessions of the
 
 7 legislature to be extended up to fifteen days.
 
 8      SECTION 2.  Article III, section 10, of the Constitution of
 
 9 the State of Hawaii is amended to read as follows:
 
10                             "SESSIONS
 
11      Section 10.  The legislature shall convene annually in
 
12 regular session at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on the third Wednesday in
 
13 January.
 
14      At the written request of two-thirds of the members to which
 
15 each house is entitled, the presiding officers of both houses
 
16 shall convene the legislature in special session.  At the written
 
17 request of two-thirds of the members of the senate, the president
 
18 of the senate shall convene the senate in special session for the
 

 
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                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 purpose of carrying out its responsibility established by Section
 
 2 3 of Article VI.  The governor may convene both houses or the
 
 3 senate alone in special session.
 
 4      Regular sessions shall be limited to a period of sixty
 
 5 days[, and special] and shall not be extended.  Special sessions
 
 6 shall be limited to a period of thirty days.  Any special session
 
 7 may be extended a total of not more than fifteen days.  Such
 
 8 extension shall be granted by the presiding officers of both
 
 9 houses at the written request of two-thirds of the members to
 
10 which each house is entitled or may be granted by the governor.
 
11      Each regular session shall be recessed for not less than
 
12 five days at some period between the twentieth and fortieth days
 
13 of the regular session.  The legislature shall determine the
 
14 dates of the mandatory recess by concurrent resolution.  Any
 
15 session may be recessed by concurrent resolution adopted by a
 
16 majority of the members to which each house is entitled.
 
17 Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, the days in mandatory recess and
 
18 any days in recess pursuant to a concurrent resolution shall be
 
19 excluded in computing the number of days of any session.
 
20      All sessions shall be held in the capital of the State.  In
 
21 case the capital shall be unsafe, the governor may direct that
 
22 any session be held at some other place."
 

 
 
 
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                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      SECTION 3.  The question to be printed on the ballot shall
 
 2 be as follows:
 
 3      "Shall the Constitution be amended to prohibit extensions of
 
 4      regular sessions of the legislature?"
 
 5      SECTION 4.  Constitutional material to be repealed is
 
 6 bracketed.  New constitutional material is underscored.
 
 7      SECTION 5.  This amendment shall take effect upon compliance
 
 8 with article XVII, section 3, of the Constitution of the State of
 
 9 Hawaii.
 
10 
 
11                           INTRODUCED BY: ________________________