REPORT TITLE:
Legislature


DESCRIPTION:
Extends regular legislative session to 65 session days and
repeals mandatory 5-day recess.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                            90          
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
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 EXTEND THE REGULAR SESSION OF THE
   LEGISLATURE TO SIXTY-FIVE DAYS BY ELIMINATING THE MANDATORY
   FIVE DAY RECESS.



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 extend the regular session of the legislature
 
 4 to sixty-five days by eliminating the mandatory five day recess.
 
 5      SECTION 2.  Article III, section 10, of the Constitution of
 
 6 the State of Hawaii is amended to read as follows:
 
 7                             "SESSIONS
 
 8      Section 10.  The legislature shall convene annually in
 
 9 regular session at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on the third Wednesday in
 
10 January.
 
11      At the written request of two-thirds of the members to which
 
12 each house is entitled, the presiding officers of both houses
 
13 shall convene the legislature in special session.  At the written
 
14 request of two-thirds of the members of the senate, the president
 
15 of the senate shall convene the senate in special session for the
 
16 purpose of carrying out its responsibility established by Section
 
17 3 of Article VI.  The governor may convene both houses or the
 
18 senate alone in special session.
 

 
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                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

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

 
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                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      mandatory five-day recess, which is excluded in computing
 
 2      the number of days in a session?"
 
 3      SECTION 4.  Constitutional material to be repealed is
 
 4 bracketed.  New constitutional material is underscored.
 
 5      SECTION 5.  This amendment shall take effect upon compliance
 
 6 with article XVII, section 3, of the Constitution of the State of
 
 7 Hawaii.
 
 8 
 
 9                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________