The Capitol Blog (Read 16372 times)

zippz

The Capitol Blog
« on: January 10, 2018, 12:34:45 PM »
I signed up to be a volunteer with my rep, Sam Kong, at the State Capitol this legislative session.  Figure I'll do about 10 hours a week or so before work or after work.  I wanted to learn how things work at the Capitol and how to be more effective at activism.  Fortunately he's a pro-gun guy.

I just walked into to their office and asked if they're looking for volunteers and coincidentally they were discussing getting some volunteers at the time.  Not sure exactly what I'll be doing yet...filing and answering phone calls or researching projects and running events.  Rep Kong is the vice chair of the K-12 Education committee so somewhat related to my prior job as a college counselor.  Also tackling the homeless problem is another priority.

Just submitted my resume, filled out a short application, and waiting for my local background check to be done.
Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu

zippz

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2018, 12:44:50 AM »
Started my first day at the Capitol.  It's the calm before the storm when the session starts on Wednesday.  The reps are currently submitting last minute bills for drafting and review.  If you want to submit a bill, it's recommended to do it in the Fall.  You provide your rep or committee chair your idea with as much details, information, examples, and references as you can and the legal eagles will draft up a bill based on that.

We got a few bills back from the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) who drafted the bills so we visited other reps to get them to sign off on it.  Basically it gives the other reps a heads up of what bills will be introduced next week and gives an indication of how much support it'll get.  Stuff like building the Veterans Memorial gets a lot of support, CCW is difficult to get signatures for so I'll have to ratchet up my marketing skills.  I find that the aides trying to sell the bills to the reps aren't experienced with firearms so they have a difficult time selling CCW.  It's really important to visit your reps and their aids to talk about firearms and take them out to the range during the off session times so they have some experience.

Other thing I'm doing is learning about homelessness and finding solutions for it which is something Rep Kong's been working on for a long time.  He even took in some homeless in the past but it's a difficult thing to do.  What I learned is only 20% of homeless are the drug addicts or crazy or criminals.  They make the headlines on the news and are the most visible.  The other 80% stay hidden and many of them want to be able to live on their own but need support, education, and temporary safe living conditions.  We're looking for opportunities to help organizations house them along with micro housing units that are cheaper for them to rent.  Unfortunately zoning and burdensome regulations present a lot of roadblocks.

I find it refreshing working at a regular job that's a lot more social and where I can be creative and thought provoking.  Coming from the military and security background where I'm just around disgruntled dudes all day.
Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu

zippz

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2018, 12:45:42 PM »
This is how you lobby.  Everyone's weakness is their stomachs.  HGEA.


Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk

« Last Edit: January 24, 2018, 12:01:31 AM by zippz »
Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu

Lihikai

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #3 on: January 22, 2018, 12:51:39 PM »
Thanks for helping Sam out - he's a reliable pro-2A supporter.

punaperson

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #4 on: January 22, 2018, 01:16:28 PM »
This is how you lobby.  Everyone's weakness is their stomachs.  HGEA.
So after the lunch-lobbying "shall issue CCW" is now a shoe-in? Man, that was easy. I'll chip in for a lunch tomorrow aimed at repealing the 10 round handgun mag limit!  :rofl:

zippz

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #5 on: January 22, 2018, 03:31:16 PM »
So after the lunch-lobbying "shall issue CCW" is now a shoe-in? Man, that was easy. I'll chip in for a lunch tomorrow aimed at repealing the 10 round handgun mag limit!  :rofl:
Don't forget the staff.  So its like 3 lunches for 1 vote.
Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu

zippz

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2018, 11:08:28 PM »
More food pics from last week.  The Cattle Ranchers group were lobbying and had an info session talking about bills that helped the local beef industry.  They brought in a professional chef and gave out samples of the local beef which was delicious, they got my vote!

We could do something like this for 2a to teach the representatives and staff about guns. Create an information sheet and have some food.  HRA would be the best ones to propose this to a Rep who would sponsor it.  Best to do something like this in December or January before it gets busy.

The Paniolos rangling us up.


Stuff they're lobbying for:


Our committee clerk Sarah putting local beef to the test.

Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu

zippz

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2018, 11:14:54 PM »

A lot of different lobbying groups have information sessions and luncheons throughout the week.  I'm getting fatter.


My Rep Sam Kong is talking about the Hugh St project where micro homes are being built under the H1 Freeway in Pearl City to temporarily house the homeless.  Come down and check it out.  He's trying to house the working homeless families who work hard and are clean but just can't afford a home.  They make up about half of the homeless population.


Also it's a school choice rally
Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu

zippz

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #8 on: January 23, 2018, 11:44:24 PM »
For the past two weeks we've been busy getting bills ready for introduction.  12 proposals from the office were sent to the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) for drafting where the attorneys take our ideas, research, and supporting documents and do some legalize magic to turn them into bills and resolutions.  They dealt with homeless, convention of states, veterans memorial, and lower education.  A lady came in yesterday asking us to submit two bills she drafted because no one else could take them.  Each representative can introduce up to 10 bills each year and we were submitting 8 bills and 3 resolutions, so we accepted.

When we get the bills back from LRB, we visit the other representatives and ask for co-introducers and co-sponsors to sign the bills to show support for them.  We then submit the bills to the Chief Clerks office who assign it a House Bill (HB) number.  Then the House session convenes and the Bill is Introduced for the "First Reading" to determine if it moves forward to committee or dies.

I'll follow HB2036 about the Veterans Memorial throughout this thread as an example.  https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=2036&year=2018

Take aways: 
The last day for bill introductions is January 24th.  If you want to ask your rep to work on a bill for you, it should be done early preferably in November or December.  Give them your idea, evidence and research, news articles, court cases, pics & graphs, and whatever information you can to help them draft your bill.
It's important to talk to and answer questions from the Reps and their staff.  They are not firearms people so you have to teach them everything.  The Reps and staff cannot get sponsors for pro-gun firearms bills if they don't know what to say and what it's about.

Rep Kong's office staff, Crystal and Sarah prepare to submit bills for introduction.


The bill goes to the House Chamber who convenes every day (except for Recess days) to decide if the Introduced bill passes (first reading) to continue on or dies.


This is the stage we are currently at.  Committee hearings will start at the end of next week or the following week.


This is the status of the Veterans Memorial bill we submitted.  Notice the co-introducers and it passed it's first reading.

Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu

zippz

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2018, 11:52:41 PM »
Team Kong


These are good references on the legislative process since you lazy F*#%as neva go to the legislative workshops I posted prior.  I know who went cause I went to most of them. (https://2ahawaii.com/index.php?topic=29599.0)

This page has a lot of info on the legislative process....
http://lrbhawaii.org/par/

Watch this video and slides:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=844&v=afLrvEnG5Zg
http://lrbhawaii.org/par/workshp/yourvoice16.pptx


The steps a bill goes through before becoming a law:
http://lrbhawaii.org/par/pub/bill2lawshort.pdf

What you can do:
http://lrbhawaii.org/par/pub/yourvoice.pdf
Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu

Heavies

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #10 on: January 24, 2018, 02:16:27 AM »
Hit them NOW.

Hopefully it will not get out of committee

punaperson

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #11 on: January 24, 2018, 05:07:55 AM »
What was the price tag for that chandelier in the extravagantly unnecessarily cavernous chamber paid for by taxpayer dollars to make it appear as if something beyond normal human comprehension and capacity is taking place in there?

And thanks for the photos of those same superhumans stuffing their faces with cattle bits just prior to deciding how to treat the cattle bits producers. Good stuff.  :shaka:

oldfart

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #12 on: January 24, 2018, 06:45:36 AM »
I didn't know all that went on down there.
Thanks for volunteering and disseminating all this information.
What, Me Worry?

rklapp

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #13 on: January 24, 2018, 05:52:15 PM »
mailinglist9@capitol.hawaii.gov
To   mailinglist@capitol.hawaii.gov Today at 2:50 PM
Aloha,

We are excited to announce that we have made improvements to our testimony submission webpage for the 2018 Legislative Session! Listed below are a few of the changes we’d like to highlight. If you anticipate submitting testimony to the Legislature this year, you may want to take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the new user interface.

The option for typing your testimony directly on the webpage (text box) now uses rich text so you have more formatting options.You now have the ability to save your work in the text box and continue at another time.  You may continue to make changes to the text box until you submit your testimony.
We’ve increased the size limitation of the attachments accepted.  Instead of 10MB, you can now attach files as large as 20MB.
Please note that attachments will not be saved and must be uploaded at the time of submittal.
Users may now either type their testimony using the text box, or submit their testimony in an attachment, not both.
You will be able to see a history of your submitted and pending testimony, and from that list there will be quick links to the measure’s status and the hearing notice.
Since you can easily see your previously submitted testimony on the webpage, the confirmation e-mail has been eliminated.
To preserve the integrity of the legislative process, and to improve on the security of our system, each user may submit one piece testimony for each bill per hearing.
Please email any questions about the new testimony submission webpage to webmaster@capitol.hawaii.gov

Mahalo!
Yahh! Freedom and justice shall always prevail over tyranny, Babysitter Girl!
https://ronsreloading.wordpress.com/

new guy

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #14 on: January 24, 2018, 07:19:15 PM »
Awesome work, Zippz.   :shaka:

Did my "time" at the Leg many moons ago... until you live it, you will never truly understand it, but once you do it you are forever changed by the experience.
Your mindset is your primary weapon. - Jeff Cooper

zippz

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #15 on: January 25, 2018, 07:04:37 PM »
Hit them NOW.
Hopefully it will not get out of committee

The focus right now (prior to committee hearings) is the committee chairs where the bills will most likely end up in...judiciary, public safety, etc.  You can ask the bills to be/not to be heard.

What was the price tag for that chandelier in the extravagantly unnecessarily cavernous chamber paid for by taxpayer dollars to make it appear as if something beyond normal human comprehension and capacity is taking place in there?

I believe the chandeliers were made when the Capitol was made, they go over it in the free capitol tours.
https://governor.hawaii.gov/hawaii-state-capitol-tours/

Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu

zippz

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #16 on: January 25, 2018, 07:49:45 PM »
I haven't been able to volunteer much this week due to my regular job.  The Capitol is relatively quiet right now, so it's a good time to head over there and talk to your district Senate and House Rep along with the 2a related chairmen..  I recommend calling to make an appointment first.  It will get busier as the session ramps up next week and it'll be difficult to talk to them.

2a related bills and status:  https://2ahawaii.com/index.php?topic=30081.0

Senate:
District descriptions - http://lrbhawaii.org/par/fyi/sendescript18.pdf
Contact roster - http://lrbhawaii.org/par/fyi/seninfo18.pdf
Important 2a related chairs/vice chair:  Taniguchi/Rhoads (Judiciary), Nishihara/Wakai (Public Safety)

House:
District descriptions - http://lrbhawaii.org/par/fyi/hsedescript18.pdf
Contact roster - http://lrbhawaii.org/par/fyi/hseinfo18.pdf
Important 2a related chairs/vice chair:  Nishimoto/San Buenaventura (Judiciary), Takayama/Gates (Public Safety)

In other news...
Our committee clerk, Blaine, is preparing for the upcoming hearings onslaught.  He is in charge of managing the committee hearings and tracking bills for Rep Kong's office.  He will also prepare and review the testimonies submitted for the committee hearings.


This is where we are currently at in the legislative process.  All bills have been introduced and they are posted on the legislative website https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov.  Bills are waiting to be sent (referred) to committees who will then setup hearings where you can submit testimony.  Some hearings have already begun.  2a related hearings haven't started yet.


If you're interested in affordable housing, attend this

Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu

zippz

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #17 on: January 25, 2018, 08:16:37 PM »
Testimony.  You submit testimony through letters, email, online, or in person at committee hearings where representatives discuss the bill with the public.  You can voice your opinion in support of or against and why.  Here are somethings I found out today from one rep's office:

In general the Representatives weigh the testimony in the following order:

1.  Representative's views and the party platform
2.  Government agencies
3.  Organizations
4.  Individuals

Representative's views - It is very difficult to change a Representative's views, ie have an anti-gun representative change to support pro-gun bills.  To do so you need a significant amount of support.

Government agencies - Get support from agencies to support the bill such as the Dept of Land and Natural Resources to support suppressors.

Organizations - Get support from firearms organizations such as Hawaii Rifle Association, Hawaii Defense Foundation, Hawaii Practical Shooters, etc.  Also non-firearm related ones such as the ACLU, domestic violence groups, LGBT, etc who may support things such as the legalization of stun guns.  Unions are very important such as Corrections Officers union supporting CCW.  Businesses have a voice also.

Individuals - You may need hundreds, or even thousands, of individual testimonies from a variety of people.  Firearms/non-firearms owners, liberal/conservatives, men/women, etc.

I'll go over how to create effective testimony next time.
Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu

Heavies

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #18 on: January 26, 2018, 12:56:52 AM »
Funny how individuals are the very one's they are SUPPOSED TO WORK FOR, yet they are the ones at the bottom of the list.....

zippz

Re: The Capitol Blog
« Reply #19 on: January 26, 2018, 09:52:37 PM »
Funny how individuals are the very one's they are SUPPOSED TO WORK FOR, yet they are the ones at the bottom of the list.....

The reasoning I came up with on my own is they represent the voters who voted them in, assuming that they are for gun control and the party line.  It takes a large amount of activists to counter that.

Organizations are basically a large group of people supporting/against the cause, so they are treated like large groups of individuals.

Government agencies are the ones who will implement the law and are "supposed" to know what is best regarding their field of expertise.
Join the Hawaii Firearms Coalition at www.hifico.org.  Hawaii's new non-profit gun rights organization focused on lobbying and grassroots activism.

Hawaii Shooting Calendar - https://calendar.google.com/calendar/embed?src=practicalmarksman.com_btllod1boifgpp8dcjnbnruhso%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=Pacific/Honolulu