House Floor

Will the house come to order? Mr. Clerk, please call the roll.

[Roll Call]

Item number two, reading of the journal.

Madam speaker, point of clarification.

Representative Ilagan.

Is Representative Kila not present or excused?

At this point, he is not present and we will be doing a two-tiered thing. So, for now, you're either present or not present. Whether you are excused or unexcused will depend on whether you submitted the form and followed the policies that we've outlined.

Thank you.

Thanks for asking that question. Item number two, reading of the journal. Representative Morikawa.

Madam speaker, may this matter be deferred?

So ordered. Item number three, messages from the Governor. Mr. Clerk, are there any messages from the Governor?

Madam speaker, there are none.

Item number four, Senate Communications. Mr. Clerk, are there any Senate communications?

Madam speaker, there are none.

Introductions. Members, are there any introductions? Representative Hartsfield.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Madam speaker and members of the House, I am relieved and excited to introduce three of my office staff. Please stand. Nathan Isaias, my Office Manager, Selena Reyes is my Legislative analyst, and Jacqueline Andrade is a Legislative Aide. So, please welcome them to the House of Representatives. Mahalo.

Representative Kapela.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have a very special and sparkly introduction in the gallery today. Joining us is our current Miss Hawaii Volunteer, 2026, Lesina Matatumua-Vermeulen. She is a 20-year-old pre nursing student at Kapiolani Community College, and her platform is diabetes in Polynesia.

She will be representing the State of Hawaii at the Miss Volunteer America Competition in June with the finals happening on June 20th. We also have our Miss Hawaii Teen Volunteer, 2026, Aria Chalk. Her platform is more than a stage, focusing on musical theater. She is a 14-year-old 8th grader at Stevenson Middle.

Joining them is their two directors, the directors of the Miss Hawaii and Miss Hawaii Teen Volunteer Program, Larry Nakano and Tony Alcociba. They are also my pageant papas. Please join me in welcoming them. Welcome to your miss—hi, welcome to Miss Hawaii, welcome to the Hawaii State House of Representatives.

Representative La Chica.

Thank you, Madam Speaker and Members. In the gallery, I see a good friend and advocate, Mark Alexander, Executive Director of the Hawaii Medical Association. And please stand and be recognized. And formerly also Executive Director for City and County of Honolulu's Office of Housing. Welcome to your House of Representatives.

Representative Keohokapu-Lee Loy.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. In the gallery today, we have a very special constituent from the Big Island. He is the President of the Hawaii Association of Broadcasters and my nephew, Chris Leonard.

Any others? Recess, subject to the call of the Chair.

Will the House come to order? Item number five.

Madam Speaker, I rise to a question of privilege of the House. Madam Speaker, pursuant to Section 226, Mason's Legislative Manual, I rise to this question of a privilege of the House concerning conduct of officers or employees of the House.

On January 20, 2026, Members of this House presented both the Speaker and Mr. Reese Nakamura a memo requesting in writing, at least 72 hours in advance, the answer to two questions related to a petition that had been presented to the House pursuant to House Rule 46.2. These questions were or are, when will the petition be presented to the House pursuant to House Rule 46.2?

And two, what are the procedures and rules that apply to the deliberation and decision making by the entire House on the petition and its request for the House to conduct a limited investigation into the conduct of the legislator who accepted $35,000?

Madam Speaker, you nor Mr. Nakamura have provided us in writing, and I would ask, as a matter of privilege of the House, when we can expect that this memo will be provided to all Members of the House so we can deal with the serious matter that is being presented to the body with respect to the legislator who accepted $35,000 in 2022?

Thank you, Representative Belatti. A draft letter has been written and a letter will be sent to all signatories of that of that letter by the end of today.

Madam Speaker, further question of privilege for the House. I hope that... I hope, and I request that that draft include commentary on how we may be able to proceed with the petition in light of any other measures that are taken up by this House.

We will... The draft letter will... The final letter will include responses to the two questions addressed in the letter. Thank you. Moving on to item number five, introduction of resolutions. Mr. Clerk, are there any resolutions for action?

Yes, Madam Speaker. House Resolution number eight, urging the Department of the Attorney General to prioritize and expedite the state investigation into the alleged acceptance of approximately $35,000 by a state legislator in January 2022. This resolution is offered by you, Madam Speaker.

Moving on to item number six, announcements. Members, are there any announcements? Seeing none. Representative Morikawa for adjournment.

Madam Speaker, I move that this House stand adjourned until 12 o'clock noon, Monday.

Representative Garcia.

Madam Speaker, I second the motion.

All those in favor, say aye. All those opposed, say no. The motion is carried. The House stands adjourned until 12 noon, Monday. It.