HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-03-11 Letter to Laura H. Thielen and Lorraine R. Inouye HB 1153, HD1 Relating to Remote Testimony in Legislative Hearings
County of Hawai‘i
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County of Hawai‘i is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.
Wil Okabe
Managing Director
Harry Kim
Mayor
Barbara J. Kossow
Deputy Managing Director
March 11, 2019
Senator Laura H. Thielen, Chair
Senator Lorraine R. Inouye, Vice Chair
Committee on Government Operations
Dear Chair Thielen, Vice Chair Inouye, and Committee Members:
RE: HB 1153, HD1 Relating to Remote Testimony in Legislative Hearings
Article I, Section 1, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaiʻi provides that “All political power
of this State is inherent in the people and the responsibility for the exercise thereof rests with the
people.” In that spirit, and over the course of its history, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature has been
dedicated to assuring citizen participation in its activities, and has often been at the forefront of
innovations that enhance that participation and make it more effective.
Technology has now reached the point where persons with disabilities, residents of rural Oahu,
and neighbor island residents, can be enabled to more fully participate in the legislative process
without experiencing inconvenient, expensive and/or time-consuming travel to the Capitol. Exactly
how that should be done, without jeopardizing the need for an expeditious legislative process, may
require further thought and deliberations, and that is exactly what HB 1153, HD1 would allow. HB
1153, HD1 does not presuppose a method, but neither is it just another “study.” Truly action oriented,
it mandates the outcome that remote testimony shall be allowed, and then leaves it to each house to
figure out the details. That is the kind of balance that this Legislature is known for and can be proud
of.
An earlier generation of Hawaiʻi leaders recognized that all residents of the State deserve
equal educational opportunities, regardless of where they live. Now today’s generation of leaders is
better assuring that all have equal access to their government. Thank you for taking this next step.
I hope you will approve HB 1153, HD1.
Respectfully Submitted,
Harry Kim
MAYOR