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SB1031 • 2026

RELATING TO ADVISORY REFERENDUMS.

RELATING TO ADVISORY REFERENDUMS.

Elections
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
LEE, C., CHANG
Last action
2025-12-08
Official status
Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

RELATING TO ADVISORY REFERENDUMS.

RELATING TO ADVISORY REFERENDUMS.

What This Bill Does

  • RELATING TO ADVISORY REFERENDUMS.
  • Elections; Legislature; Advisory Referendums; Questions; Ballots; General Obligation Bonds Authorizes the Legislature to adopt any Concurrent Resolution to propose a non-binding advisory referendum question concerning the issuance of general obligation bonds to the people, who may vote on the question during any general election.
  • Imposes notice, certification, and reporting requirements on the Chief Election Officer.
  • Requires a written explanation for any legislative acts that are contrary to the reported majority vote on the advisory referendum question to be reflected in the legislative record.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

SD1

1

Hawaii published version SD1

Plain English: SB1031 SD1 THE SENATE S.B.

  • SB1031 SD1 THE SENATE S.B.
  • NO.
  • 1031 THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 S.D.
  • 1 STATE OF HAWAII A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO ADVISORY REFERENDUMS .

Bill History

  1. 2025-12-08 D

    Carried over to 2026 Regular Session.

  2. 2025-02-13 S

    Report adopted; Passed Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referred to JDC.

  3. 2025-02-13 S

    Reported from GVO (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 462) with recommendation of passage on Second Reading, as amended (SD 1) and referral to JDC.

  4. 2025-02-11 S

    The committee(s) on GVO recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, WITH AMENDMENTS. The votes in GVO were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) McKelvey, Gabbard, Moriwaki, San Buenaventura; Aye(s) with reservations: Senator(s) Fevella ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.

  5. 2025-02-06 S

    The committee(s) on GVO deferred the measure until 02-11-25 3:00PM; Conference Room 225.

  6. 2025-02-04 S

    The committee(s) on GVO deferred the measure until 02-06-25 3:00PM; Conference Room 225.

  7. 2025-01-31 S

    The committee(s) on GVO has scheduled a public hearing on 02-04-25 3:05PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.

  8. 2025-01-23 S

    Referred to GVO, JDC.

  9. 2025-01-21 S

    Passed First Reading.

  10. 2025-01-17 S

    Introduced.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO ADVISORY REFERENDUMS.
Elections; Legislature; Advisory Referendums; Questions; Ballots; General Obligation Bonds
Authorizes the Legislature to adopt any Concurrent Resolution to propose a non-binding advisory referendum question concerning the issuance of general obligation bonds to the people, who may vote on the question during any general election. Imposes notice, certification, and reporting requirements on the Chief Election Officer. Requires a written explanation for any legislative acts that are contrary to the reported majority vote on the advisory referendum question to be reflected in the legislative record. Effective 1/1/2491. (SD1)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
SB1031

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

1031

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING
TO ADVISORY REFERENDUMS
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1.
�
Chapter 11, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read
as follows:

����
"
�11-
��

��
Advisory
referendums.
�
(a)
�

The legislature may adopt any concurrent resolution to propose a non-binding
advisory referendum question to the people, who may vote on the question during
any general election.
�
The legislature may
determine what subject matters are appropriate for referendum.
�
No concurrent resolution adopted pursuant to
this section shall embrace more than one referendum question.

����
(b)
�

The chief election officer shall publish a notice of each advisory
referendum question in a newspaper of general circulation in the State at least
thirty days before the date of the advisory referendum.
�
The notice of the advisory referendum shall
also be available at all public libraries in the State and the office of the
clerk of each county.

����
(c)
�

Each advisory referendum question shall be printed on the ballot and the
question shall have a designated space to mark "yes" or "no".

����
(d)
�

Except as provided in subsection (e), advisory referendum questions that
appear on a ballot shall be collectively placed under a single heading that includes
a statement that reads as follows:

����
"This section of the ballot enables
voters to make recommendations advising the legislature whether or not to take
action on the questions posed.
�

Regardless of the outcome of the votes on these questions, further
action by the legislature is necessary for any recommendation to become law."

����
(e)
�

The chief election officer may make grammatical changes to the statement
required by subsection (d) if a single advisory referendum question appears on
any ballot.

����
(f)
�

The chief election officer shall certify and report to the public the
general election results regarding any advisory referendum question at or about
the same time of the release of other results for the same general election.
�
The chief election officer shall also report
to the legislature the general election results regarding any advisory referendum
question no less than twenty days before the convening of the first regular
session that follows the general election.
"

����
SECTION
2.
�
This Act does not affect rights and
duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were
begun before its effective date.

����
SECTION
3.
�
New statutory material is
underscored.

����
SECTION 4.
�
This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Elections;
Legislature; Advisory Referendums; Questions; Ballots

Description:

Authorizes
the Legislature to adopt any Concurrent Resolution to propose a non-binding
advisory referendum question to the people, who may vote on the question during
any general election.
�
Imposes notice,
certification, and reporting requirements on the Chief Election Officer.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.