HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	242
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

URGING THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU TO PROVIDE IMMUNITY FROM LIABILITY FOR NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD MEMBERS ACTING IN THEIR OFFICIAL CAPACITY OR TO ENSURE THAT NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD MEMBERS WILL BE DEFENDED.

     WHEREAS, neighborhood boards are volunteer organizations whose members serve without compensation; and

     WHEREAS, neighborhood board members are duly elected representatives of their communities; and

     WHEREAS, the mission of neighborhood boards is to voice the concerns of their communities; and

     WHEREAS, neighborhood boards have been threatened with lawsuits seeking to reverse board decisions; and

     WHEREAS, neighborhood boards do not have the funds to defend themselves in court, nor have they been defended by the City and County of Honolulu Corporation Counsel; and

     WHEREAS, serving as voices for their respective communities, neighborhood boards should remain free to lend a voice to issues of importance without being silenced by the threat of a lawsuit; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, that the City and County of Honolulu is urged to provide immunity from liability for neighborhood board members acting in their official capacity or to ensure that neighborhood board members will be adequately defended; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, the City and County of Honolulu Corporation Counsel, and Chair of the City and County of Honolulu Neighborhood Commission.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Immunity for Neighborhood Board Members.