During the 2019 legislative session, residents from across Hawaiʻi engaged in the legislative process, debating the question of whether or not to increase Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage.

Many, already struggling to make ends meet, took off from work, arranged childcare and traveled to the State Capitol from the neighbor islands.

Thousands of people submitted testimony, committee hearings were held, and legislators voted publicly on multiple occasions—overwhelmingly in support. From that process, emerged House Bill 1191 HD1 SD2, proposing to increase Hawaiʻi’s minimum wage to a phased-in $15 per hour, from its existing $10.10 per hour.

Hope and optimism among advocates was running high as the legislative session neared its conclusion and the conference committee was convened.

Then, on April 26, those hopes were dashed when it was announced that an agreement between the House and Senate could not be reached. Advocates were told, “Come back next year, submit another bill and try again”—sorry, not sorry.

Article III, Section 15 of the Hawaii Constitution states in part:

”Any bill pending at the final adjournment of a regular session in an odd-numbered year shall carry over with the same status to the next regular session.”

Thus there is no need or reason to “submit another bill,” and no reason that thousands of local residents have to yet again submit testimony, take off work and endure the often arcane practices of the legislature—only to wind up at the same exact place.

Upon the opening of the 2020 Legislative Session, leadership in the House and Senate could simply reconvene the Conference Committee, amend HB 1191 HD1 SD2 as needed to remove any sections that are problematic, and pass it to the floor for a full vote.

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