HR 164: URGING THE THIRTY-THIRD HAWAII STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO ADOPT RULES CHANGES TO FOSTER DECORUM AND STRENGTHEN TRUE DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES.

HOUSE RESOLUTION

URGING THE THIRTY-THIRD HAWAII STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO ADOPT RULES CHANGES TO FOSTER DECORUM AND STRENGTHEN TRUE DEMOCRATIC PRINCIPLES.

     WHEREAS, the rules of the Hawaii State House of Representatives are an agreement all members make regarding how they conduct themselves while doing legislative business; and

WHEREAS, while these rules allow for the current fulfillment of the body’s duties, there is much room for reform as it comes to mandating heightened decorum and the adoption of true democratic processes; and

WHEREAS, in 2022 two legislators in leadership positions pled guilty to corruption, with one infamously known to brag he could kill a bill any time he wanted; and

     WHEREAS, it has been said that “absolute power corrupts absolutely”, but the House Rules themselves bestow high levels of power concentration onto a select group of representatives; and

WHEREAS, particularly, the ability for a committee chair to unilaterally determine whether legislation will be deferred without a vote by all members of a committee is in stark contrast to the representative democratic principles on which the Hawaii State Legislature was established; and

WHEREAS, the recommendation to recommit has increasingly been used to stall legislation as opposed to keeping it active, often eliminating the ability for members to vote on typically controversial matters and mask their stance by instead being asked to vote simply on procedure; and

WHEREAS, while disagreement is inherent in all debate, members have been known to misuse mechanisms meant to maintain decorum in a manner that instead merely interrupt speech due to differences of opinion, on no grounds of actual rules violation; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, that the Hawaii State House of Representatives is urged to adopt rules changes that foster decorum and strengthen true democratic principles; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House Rules be amended to remove a committee chair’s unilateral decision-making power for the deferral of legislation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House Rules clarify appropriate uses of recommendations to recommit legislation in order to prevent the practice from being used to stall measures versus allowing for a vote by members on the legislation’s actual subject matter; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the House Rules be amended to have members refrain from calling point of order or recess when another member is speaking; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the members of the Hawaii State House of Representatives.

Report Title: 

House Rules; Decorum; Democratic Principles