Report Title:

Legislature; Standing Committees; Decision Making

Description:

Establishes procedure for decision making in legislative standing committees.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1936
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to the legislature.

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

     SECTION 1.  Chapter 21, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

     "§21-  Decision making in standing committees. (a)  A quorum of the committee, which shall be a majority of the committee membership, shall be present for decision-making.

(b)  Committee decision-making shall be by a majority of the members present.  To report a measure out of the committee shall require a favorable vote of not less than a majority of the members present at a meeting duly constituted with a quorum.  Any member voting "with reservations" shall be deemed to be in favor of the recommendation.

(c)  The vice-chair of the committee, or the designee of the chair in the absence of the vice-chair, shall be the recorder of the record of the quorum and the votes.

(d)  In the case of a joint hearing, the vice chair of the lead committee, or the designee of the lead committee chair in the absence of the vice chair, shall be the recorder of the record of the quorum and the votes of all the committees party to the public hearing.

(e)  In taking the roll call vote, each member shall be called upon only once regardless of the number of the committees that the member may sit on.  The vote of the member shall be considered to be that member's vote on all committees that the member sits on involved in the public hearing.

(f)  Favorable action by the committee shall be conveyed in a committee report."

     SECTION 2.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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