State coordinator encourages residents to get involved in process by Nathan Eagle – THE GARDEN ISLAND With effective communication and persistence, residents can take advantage of the interim this summer after the 2008 state legislative session adjourns May 1, Suzanne
State coordinator encourages residents to get involved in process
by Nathan Eagle – THE GARDEN ISLAND
With effective communication and persistence, residents can take advantage of the interim this summer after the 2008 state legislative session adjourns May 1, Suzanne Marinelli said.
The coordinator for the state Legislature’s Public Access Room said the down time for lawmakers improves their accessibility — especially for neighbor islanders.
Marinelli hosted five workshops last week from Kilauea to Waimea called “The Informed Citizen.” The free events, sponsored by the non-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau, provided an overhead look at the maze that must be navigated to turn an idea into a law.
“Democracy is only as strong as the use we make of it,” she said.
Of the 3,000 to 4,000 bills that legislators introduce annually, Marinelli said, roughly 250 become law. She called this 8 percent passage rate “brutal,” but said citizens can help push bills through if they have a solid understanding of how the process works.
Before a constituent approaches their elected representative, Marinelli recommends first identifying the need for the measure, which involves crafting the idea and researching the issue.
The Public Access Room released excerpts from a draft of “A Participant’s Guide to Hawai‘i State Legislative Process” that posed some questions citizens should consider: “What are the existing laws on the issue? Would they be adequate if better enforced? Is there a certain aspect of the existing law that could be amended to correct the situation?”
Bills for a 60-day legislative session are introduced in the first five to seven days.
“The more homework you do, the better off you’ll be when the Legislature goes to convene,” Marinelli said.
Residents should refrain from writing the bills, she added. Instead, provide the legislator with key points.
State Rep. Roland Sagum, D-16th District, said yesterday that concerned citizens should schedule meetings with him during the interim period.
“It’s awesome if people get involved,” he said, adding that the legislative process is not what it appears to the public eye. “It’s about relationships. We might be losing on one issue but make it up in another. It’s so complex.”
Sagum, who has worked in politics his whole life, encouraged residents to talk to their elected officials. He joins Sen. Gary Hooser, D-7th District, and Reps. James Tokioka, D-15th District, and Hermina Morita, D-14th District, to represent an island highly outnumbered by O‘ahu legislators at the Capitol in Honolulu.
Despite the odds, Sagum said the Kaua‘i delegation pushes bills through the Legislature by maintaining positive working relationships with the other state lawmakers.
“If we don’t get along with the other guys, our bills get shut down,” he said.
The state Legislature’s Web site at www.capitol.hawaii.gov continues to help residents on Neighbor Islands be more involved. From tracking bills to submitting testimony, Marinelli said, technology has somewhat leveled the playing field.
Last year, the Public Access Room processed 12,000 pieces of e-mailed testimony. According to Marinelli, Hawai‘i is the only state that accepts testimony in this format.
The coordinator said Kaua‘i was her first stop. She plans to provide the free workshops on the other islands, including Moloka‘i and Lana‘i.
“There is no known cure for the political virus,” she said. “But treatment is involvement in the political process.”
For more information, call the Public Access Room on O‘ahu toll-free at 274-3141 ext. 70478.
