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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
1999 |
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THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO PUBLIC MEETINGS.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
The legislature finds that current agency practice often places extensive administrative and procedural provisions, including quorum requirements, rules governing remote participation, and testimony procedures, before the substantive agenda items. This practice requires members of the public to review several pages of introductory text before determining a meeting's relevance. The legislature believes that this lengthy structural arrangement creates an unnecessary barrier to public review and disproportionately affects individuals with disabilities, including persons having mobility impairments and persons using screen reading software, who must navigate excessive non-substantive text to access the core content. Crucial information regarding reasonable accommodation instructions is often obscured, sometimes appearing on the final page of lengthy documents. This may prevent persons with disabilities from requesting necessary assistance in a timely manner.
The legislature finds that simplifying the structure of public meeting notices by prioritizing substantive content and accommodation instructions will ensure that the most critical information is immediately available to all members of the public. This will promote equitable access and open government.
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to require certain information to appear at the beginning of notices for public meetings.
SECTION 2. Section 92-7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
"(a) The board shall give written public notice of any regular, special, emergency, or rescheduled meeting, or any executive meeting when anticipated in advance. The beginning of the notice shall include an agenda that lists all of the items to be considered at the forthcoming meeting; the date, time, and place of the meeting; a statement of where the board packet, as described in section 92-7.5, may be viewed in person and the location of the board packet on the internet; the board's electronic and postal contact information for submission of testimony before the meeting; instructions on how to request an auxiliary aid or service or an accommodation due to a disability, including a response deadline, if one is provided, that is reasonable; and in the case of an executive meeting, the purpose shall be stated. If an item to be considered is the proposed adoption, amendment, or repeal of administrative rules, an agenda meets the requirements for public notice pursuant to this section if it contains a statement on the topic of the proposed rules or a general description of the subjects involved, as described in section 91-3(a)(1)(A), and a statement of when and where the proposed rules may be viewed in person and on the Internet as provided in section 91-2.6. The means specified by this section shall be the only means required for giving notice under this part notwithstanding any law to the contrary."
SECTION 3. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun before its effective date.
SECTION 4. New statutory material is underscored.
SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
Public Agencies; Meetings; Notices; Disabilities; Readability
Description:
Requires certain information to appear at the beginning of notices for public meetings.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.