Comm. 008 - 2021-09-08 (testimony) Common Cause Hawaii: items on September 9, 2021 agenda

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*Common Cause Holding Power Accountablig September 8, 2021 2021 Council Reapportionment Commission County of Hawaii 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, HI 96720 COMMUNICATION 8 (Via Email Only) RE: September 9, 2021 Agenda of the 2021 Hawaii County Redistricting Commission Dear 2021 Hawaii County Redistricting Commission: Common Cause Hawaii is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy and ensuring a fair and transparent reapportionment and redistricting process. Common Cause Hawaii hereby provides comments pertaining to the Hawaii County Redistricting Commission Rules of Procedure. According to the March 1, 2021 draft Redistricting Commission minutes, Rules of Procedure for the Hawaii County Redistricting Commission were adopted. However, Common Cause Hawaii does not see said rules on the Laserfische WebLink. According to Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) § 92-7.5, all board documents should be publicly available when distributed to the Commission. Thus, all Commission packets should be provided to the public as soon as possible, including but not limited to packets from previous meetings. Further, if not part of the Rules of Procedure for the Hawaii County Redistricting Commission, Common Cause Hawaii suggests that, as meetings are currently occurring remotely, they be recorded and made publicly available for later viewing. This will ensure greater transparency for and public access to the 2021 Hawaii County Redistricting Commission meetings. Additionally, Act 220 (2021) amended the Sunshine Law to allow the conduct of remote meetings in non -emergency times and would take effect January 1, 2022. Act 220 allows boards and the commissions the option to use interactive conference technology to conduct remote meetings under the Sunshine Law, while still retaining the option to conduct traditional in -person meetings at a single meeting site or at multiple meeting sites connected by interactive conference technology. Thus, it is reasonable to continue with remote meetings, which should be recorded for later viewing Common Cause Hawaii requests the opportunity to testify after each agenda item. The policy and intent of the Sunshine Law is clear: "the discussions, deliberations, decisions, and action of governmental agencies — shall be conducted as openly as possible". HRS § 92-1. Therefore, given the consequential matters that will be discussed during the meeting after public testimony is taken, the public should be allowed additional opportunity to testify after