HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

66

THIRTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2019

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

Requesting the state and countIES to expand efforts for community input regarding adoption of Administrative rules, statewide plans, and plans that Affect rural communities.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, section 91-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires one public hearing as part of the process to adopt administrative rules; and

 

     WHEREAS, while many state and county departments and agencies often hold multiple public hearings as part of the administrative rule adoption process or hold multiple community meetings for proposed statewide plans, most of those hearings or community meetings occur on the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui, and Oahu; and

 

     WHEREAS, the residents of Molokai and Lanai must fly to Maui or another island to participate in those public hearings or community meetings to ensure that their input is considered; and

 

     WHEREAS, on occasion, a state department or agency has proposed changes that would affect a rural area, but only held community meetings addressing that issue in downtown Honolulu on Oahu and other areas outside of that rural area; and

 

     WHEREAS, notices for hearings and community meetings often do not contain an email address or easily discernable mailing address for members of the community to submit testimony and other written comments; and

 

WHEREAS, notices that allow for the submission of testimony and other written comments often do not reflect a clear deadline for those submissions; now, therefore,
     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirtieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2019, the Senate concurring, that all state departments and agencies are requested to hold at least one hearing on each of the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu before adopting any administrative rule with a statewide effect; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all state departments and agencies are requested to hold at least one community meeting on each of the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, and Oahu before adopting any statewide plan; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that if a community meeting by a state or county department or agency addresses an issue specific to a rural area, it is requested that at least one community meeting be held in that rural area; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that notices for state and county public hearings and community meetings are requested to include:

 

     (1)  A mailing address and email address to which testimony and other written comments relevant to the hearing or public meeting may be easily submitted; and

 

     (2)  A clearly written deadline for the submission of testimony and other written comments; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, head of each principal department, and the mayor of each county.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Administrative Procedure; Rule Adoption; Hearings; Community Meetings