REPORT TITLE:
Legislature; Recess Days


DESCRIPTION:
Repeal the mandatory legislative 5-day recess.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        2231
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 REPEAL THE MANDATORY LEGISLATIVE FIVE-DAY
   RECESS.



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

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that the original intent
 
 2 of the mandatory legislative five-day recess was to provide the
 
 3 public and legislators more time to discuss legislative issues.
 
 4 Admirable as this objective was, it has been less than
 
 5 successful.  Except for hearings in some of the standing
 
 6 committees, very little else happens at the legislature during
 
 7 this period.  Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to propose an
 
 8 amendment to article III, section 10, of the Constitution of the
 
 9 State of Hawaii to repeal the mandatory legislative five-day
 
10 recess.
 
11      SECTION 2.  Article III, section 10, of the Constitution of
 
12 the State of Hawaii is amended to read as follows:
 
13                             "SESSIONS
 
14      Section 10.  The legislature shall convene annually in
 
15 regular session at 10:00 o'clock a.m. on the third Wednesday in
 
16 January.
 
17      At the written request of two-thirds of the members to which
 
18 each house is entitled, the presiding officers of both houses
 

 
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                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

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

 
 
 
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                                     H.B. NO.           
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      All sessions shall be held in the capital of the State.  In
 
 2 case the capital shall be unsafe, the governor may direct that
 
 3 any session be held at some other place."
 
 4      SECTION 3.  The question to be printed on the ballot shall
 
 5 be as follows:
 
 6      "Shall the mandatory legislative five-day recess be
 
 7      repealed?"
 
 8      SECTION 4.  Constitutional material to be repealed is
 
 9 bracketed.  New constitutional material is underscored.
 
10      SECTION 5.  This amendment shall take effect upon compliance
 
11 with article XVII, section 3, of the Constitution of the State of
 
12 Hawaii.
 
13 
 
14                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________