[This should probably be in the "Legal and Activism" section, if a moderator wants to move it. My apologies.]

Hawaii is not the only place where one single member of the legislature (a committee chairperson) can hold the rest of the legislature and all the citizens in contempt by simply refusing to schedule a hearing for a bill, even if it has passed overwhelmingly in the other legislative body. For example:

Florida. Where CCW licenses have been "shall issue" since 1987, and currently there are 1,400,000 license holders (and those license holders have been shown to be 1/3 (one-third) as likely to commit a crime as law enforcement officers).

The REPUBLICAN chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has refused to allow the legislative process to proceed by hearing the bills in committee despite the campus carry and open carry bills passing overwhelmingly in the Florida House: the guns-on-campus bill (HB 4001) passed, 80-37, the open-carry bill (HB 163) passed, 80-38.

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/open-carry-is-not-going-to-happen-sen-diaz-de-la-portilla-says/2265630

Excerpts:

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Republican Miguel Diaz de la Portilla said, "Open carry is not going to happen; it's done."

It's among three gun bills he's killing this session by not granting them hearings in his committee, a powerful prerogative that committee chairman have.

“On all of these gun bills, I don’t believe any of them are necessary,” Diaz de la Portilla said.

* * * *
Please call and/or email the committee chairpersons who, here in Hawaii also refuse to even hold hearings for the pro-rights bills, including bills that would "allow" concealed carry. The information on the committees and bills is in threads above [in the Legal and Activism section] re "CCW APPLICATION DRIVE 2015!".

This is why it's so important to have things like voter recall and term limits in place

This is why it's so important to have things like voter recall and term limits in place

I believe Senator Slom has introduced bills for recall, initiative, referendum, and term limits every session for, well, approximately forever. I'm not sure any of them has ever gotten a committee hearing. I believe Hawaii is the only state that has none of those four options available to citizens. I guess our "betters" truly know what's best for us, so we should just keep our bumpkin ideas to ourselves. If we don't like it, well, lucky we live Hawaii! I would like to recall a legislator who opposes creation of a ballot initiative to establish term limits. 

Here are some in the current crop (my (pessimist/realist?) prediction: ain't gonna happen):

Hawaii proposed 2016 bills for recall, initiative, referendum, and term limits.

SB2701

Measure Title:   PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII TO PROVIDE FOR RECALL.
Description:    Amends article II of the state constitution to provide for recall.

1/27/2016   S   Referred to JDL, WAM.

* * * *

SB2754     

Measure Title:   PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO ARTICLES II, III, AND XVII OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII TO PROVIDE FOR DIRECT INITIATIVE.
Description:    Proposes amendments to the state constitution to provide for direct initiative.

1/27/2016   S   Referred to JDL, WAM.

* * * *

SB2753       

Measure Title:   PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE III, SECTION 4, OF THE HAWAII STATE CONSTITUTION TO ESTABLISH LEGISLATIVE TERM LIMITS.

Description:    Proposes a constitutional amendment to limit the terms of members of the legislature to a maximum of twelve consecutive years in the house of representatives and twelve consecutive years in the senate, for terms beginning on the day of the general election of 2020.

2/16/2016   S   Re-Referred to JDL.

* * * *

SB2708     

Measure Title:   PROPOSING AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE XVII OF THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII FOR REFERENDUM.

Description:    Amends article XVII of the State Constitution to provide for Referendum.

1/27/2016   S   Referred to JDL, WAM.

Update 2/20/16

Talk about "Orwellian" language, or what David Codrea terms "every day is opposites day for progressives"...

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/diaz-de-la-portilla-explains-why-he-killed-gun-and-immigration-bills/2265842

Excerpts:

Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, on Wednesday laid out his rationale for why he decided to kill several controversial gun bills by not scheduling them for a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, which he chairs, and he warned he will kill the bills again next year if they return. [The "gun"/pro-rights open carry and campus carry bills passed the House 80-37 and 80-38.]

"Not agendaing those bad bills was really nothing more than common sense,'' Diaz de la Portilla told an audience of the League of Women Voters Wednesday evening. The group recognized Diaz de la Portilla as one of three lawmakers to receive the group's  annual "Making Democracy Work" award.

* * * *
He's in essence claiming that 68% of the elected representatives (the percentage voting for the bills, all Republicans except one or two Democrats also voting FOR) are not representing their constituencies that elected them. I guess they're all willing to lose the next election by going against the wishes of their constituents. Yeah, right. You'd think the Senate Republican leadership would oust him from that committee chairmanship (given that he has vowed to kill the bills again next should they pass again and should he still be there), unless they're pandering for the Hispanic vote, or something.

Now, let's see what our senate and house committee chairpersons here in Hawaii do about scheduling hearings for all those "shall issue" CCW bills...

The Committees of each house are created and operate by direction of the Senate President or the Speaker of the House.  If i really wanted something to be heard and the chairperson refuses, I wouldn't petition the chairperson.  instead, i'd petition the President/Speaker.

The current Senate President is President Kouchi from Kaua'i.

The current Speaker of the House is Joe Souki, from House district 8.

The Committees of each house are created and operate by direction of the Senate President or the Speaker of the House.  If i really wanted something to be heard and the chairperson refuses, I wouldn't petition the chairperson.  instead, i'd petition the President/Speaker.

The current Senate President is President Kouchi from Kaua'i.

The current Speaker of the House is Joe Souki, from House district 8.

Thanks for that. I haven't heard anything back from any of the committee chairpersons I've contacted and asked for hearings. I'm emailing today and calling Monday on all the CCW bills before the House and Senate.

Hawaii Senate and House Leadership Contact Information

Senate President
Kouchi ,  Ronald D. (D)
Hawaii State Capitol, Room 409
Phone 808-586-6030
Fax 808-586-6031
E-Mail: senkouchi@Capitol.hawaii.gov

House Speaker
Souki ,  Joseph M. (D)
Hawaii State Capitol, Room 431
Phone 808-586-6100
Fax 808-586-6101
E-Mail: repsouki@Capitol.hawaii.gov