SCR74 • 2026

REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT AN AUDIT OF NO-BID CONTRACTS ISSUED BY STATE AND COUNTY AGENCIES UNDER PROCLAMATIONS DECLARING STATES OF EMERGENCY DURING THE SIX-YEAR PERIOD BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 2020, AND DECEMBER 31, 2025.

Active

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

Sponsor: MORIWAKI
Last action: 2026-05-19
Official status: Certified copies of resolutions sent, 05-19-26.
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.

REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT AN AUDIT OF NO-BID CONTRACTS ISSUED BY STATE AND COUNTY AGENCIES UNDER PROCLAMATIONS DECLARING STATES OF EMERGENCY DURING THE SIX-YEAR PERIOD BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 2020, AND DECEMBER 31, 2025.

What This Bill Does

REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT AN AUDIT OF NO-BID CONTRACTS ISSUED BY STATE AND COUNTY AGENCIES UNDER PROCLAMATIONS DECLARING STATES OF EMERGENCY DURING THE SIX-YEAR PERIOD BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 2020, AND DECEMBER 31, 2025.
Auditor; No-Bid Contracts; Emergency Proclamations; States of Emergency; Emergency Procurements; State and County Agencies; Report

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.

Bill History

2026-05-19 S
Certified copies of resolutions sent, 05-19-26.
2026-04-28 S
Resolution adopted in final form.
2026-04-28 S
Received from House (Hse. Com. No. 851).
2026-04-27 H
Transmitted to Senate.
2026-04-27 H
Adopted with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and none excused (0).
2026-04-27 H
Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2272-26), recommending adoption.
2026-04-23 H
The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 14 Ayes: Representative(s) Todd, Takenouchi, Hartsfield, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lee, M., Miyake, Ratcliffe, Templo, Yamashita, Gedeon, Reyes Oda; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 3 Excused: Representative(s) Morikawa, Perruso, Alcos.
2026-04-21 H
Scheduled for decision making on Thursday, 04-23-26 10:00AM in conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-04-17 H
Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Amato excused (1).
2026-04-17 H
Reported from PBS (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 2171-26), recommending referral to FIN.
2026-04-15 H
The committee on PBS recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 8 Ayes: Representative(s) Belatti, Iwamoto, Hashem, Ichiyama, Morikawa, Poepoe, Shimizu, Souza; Ayes with reservations: none; Noes: none; and 1 Excused: Representative(s) Woodson.
2026-04-13 H
Resolution scheduled to be heard by PBS on Wednesday, 04-15-26 10:30AM in conference room 411 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-04-10 H
Referred to PBS, FIN, referral sheet 27
2026-04-08 H
Received from Senate (Sen. Com. No. 431).
2026-04-08 S
Adopted. Transmitted to House.
2026-04-07 S
One Day Notice 04-08-26
2026-04-07 S
Waived referral to WAM.
2026-03-31 S
Report adopted, referred to WAM.
2026-03-31 S
Reported from GVO (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 3399), with recommendation of referral to WAM.
2026-03-24 S
The committee(s) on GVO recommend(s) that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes in GVO were as follows: 5 Aye(s): Senator(s) McKelvey, Gabbard, Hashimoto, Moriwaki, Awa; Aye(s) with reservations: none ; 0 No(es): none; and 0 Excused: none.
2026-03-20 S
The committee(s) on GVO has scheduled a public hearing on 03-24-26 3:05PM; Conference Room 225 & Videoconference.
2026-03-19 S
Referred to GVO, WAM.
2026-03-16 S
Offered.

Official Summary Text

REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO CONDUCT AN AUDIT OF NO-BID CONTRACTS ISSUED BY STATE AND COUNTY AGENCIES UNDER PROCLAMATIONS DECLARING STATES OF EMERGENCY DURING THE SIX-YEAR PERIOD BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 2020, AND DECEMBER 31, 2025.
Auditor; No-Bid Contracts; Emergency Proclamations; States of Emergency; Emergency Procurements; State and County Agencies; Report

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

SCR74

THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

74

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

Requesting the Auditor to conduct an audit of no-bid
contracts issued by state and county agencies under proclamations declaring
states of emergency during the six-year period between january 1, 2020, and
december 31, 2025
.

����
WHEREAS, section
103D-307, Hawaii Revised Statutes, establishes a framework for emergency
procurements, in which heads of purchasing agencies may obtain goods or
services or contract for construction essential to meet an emergency, under
certain conditions; and

����
WHEREAS, in
times of an emergency, the Governor or the Mayor of a county may declare the
existence of a state of emergency by issuing of a proclamation pursuant to section
127A‑14, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

����
WHEREAS,
section 127A-13, Hawaii Revised Statutes, establishes a mechanism to
"[s]uspend any law that impedes or tends to impede or be detrimental to
the expeditious and efficient execution of, or to conflict with, emergency
functions, including laws that . . . specifically are made applicable to
emergency personnel"; and

����
WHEREAS, the
suspension of provisions of the Hawaii Public Procurement Code pursuant to chapter
103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, during a state of emergency could allow for
no-bid contracts during the period in which a state of emergency is in effect;
and

����
WHEREAS,
however, the suspension of provisions of the Hawaii Public Procurement Code
does not also suspend the responsibility of state and county agencies to
exercise prudence with and take accountability for public funds; and

����
WHEREAS, there
may be inconsistencies between agencies in how no-bid contracts are entered
into during states of emergency; and

����
WHEREAS, the
terms of certain public contracts entered into between the National Kidney
Foundation of Hawaii and the City and County of Honolulu and other agencies
during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have raised questions
regarding the use of public moneys during states of emergency; and

����
WHEREAS, an
assessment of no-bid contracts over the last six years would provide
information necessary to identify essential reforms to emergency procurement
laws; now, therefore,

����
BE IT
RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii,
Regular Session of 2026, the House of Representatives concurring, that the
Auditor is requested to conduct an audit of no-bid contracts issued by state
and county agencies under proclamations declaring states of emergency during
the six-year period between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2025; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to review the justifications and
standards used by state and county agencies to issue no-bid contracts; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to review the standards and
justifications used for vendor selections, what price valuations were used to
determine that contracts were appropriately priced, and any other
accountability standards used to evaluate the contracts; and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to submit a report of its findings and
recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no
later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2027;
and

����
BE IT FURTHER
RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the
Auditor.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:
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Auditor;
No-Bid Contracts; Emergency Proclamations; States of Emergency; Emergency
Procurements; State and County Agencies; Report