STAND. COM. REP. NO. |
Honolulu, Hawaii
APR 0 2 2025
RE: S.C.R. No. 158
S. D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.C.R.
No. 158 entitled:
"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE OFFICE OF
ELECTIONS TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP ON AUTOMATIC VOTER
REGISTRATION,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the
Office of Elections to convene a working group on automatic voter
registration.
Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this
measure from one individual.
Prior to the hearing on this measure, your Committee posted
and made available for public review a proposed S.D. 1, which
amends this measure by:
(1) Deleting the contents of the measure;
(2) Inserting language urging the President of the United
States, and all members of any current and future
administration, to abide by the laws of the United
States, including by complying with orders issued by
United States courts;
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(3) Inserting legislative findings; and
(4) TXmending its title accordingly.
Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
or the proposed S.D. 1 from the League of Women Voters of Hawaii;
Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; Free Access Coalition; Environmental
Caucus of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i; Hawai‘i Friends of Civil
Rights; Hawai‘i State Teachers Association; Hawai‘i Coalition for
Immigrant Rights; Stonewall Caucus of the Democratic Party of
Hawai‘i; Hawai‘i Women Lawyers; Fujiwara & Rosenbaum, LLLC; and
forty-three individuals.
Your Committee received comments on the proposed S.D. 1 from
one individual.
Your Committee finds that under the United States
Constitution no person, including the President of the United
States, may disregard or disobey laws which he or she considers
unfair, unjust, or otherwise illegitimate. Your Committee further
finds that the founding fathers, aware of the risks posed by a
government headed by a single, all-powerful king, intentionally
created "a government of laws, not of men," and divided the power
of government to make, enforce, and interpret the laws among three
coequal and independent branches of government. The judicial
branch of the United States government is a check on the awesome
power of the other two branches of government, and which, unlike
the legislative and executive branches, has no power other than
its power to exercise its judgment over issues of federal law.
However, despite the brilliant design of the United States
judiciary created by the founding fathers, the President of the
United States and his cabinet secretaries have repeatedly attacked
the judiciary simply for carrying out its duty to interpret the
laws and United States Constitution and not only attacked the
normal operation of the judiciary, but have also repeatedly,
openly, and shamelessly refused to comply with lawful court
orders. Your Committee believes that if the President or any
other government officer is allowed to simply disregard federal
law or a lawful court order, the nation's elected leaders have
abandoned the bedrock principles of the United States Constitution
that inspired the founding fathers to create this great nation in
the first place. This measure expresses the State's desire to
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defend the integrity of the nation's legal system and ensure that
the government remains accountable to the people.
Your Committee notes that it received a petition signed by
one hundred forty-three individuals in support of the proposed
S.D. 1.
Your Committee has amended this measure by adopting the
proposed S.D. 1.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your
Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 158,
as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form
attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 158, S.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on
behalf of the members of the
Committee on Judiciary,
KARL RHOADS, Chair
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 The Senate
Thirty-Third Legislature
State of Hawai‘i
Record of Votes
Committee on Judiciary
JDC
Bill / Resolution No.:* Committee Referral: Date:
__ The Committee is reconsidering its previous decision on this measure.
If so, then the previous decision was to: ___________________________________
The Recommendation is:
__ Pass, unamended (/}^Pass, with amendments __ Hold __ Recommit
2312 2311 2310 2313
Members Aye Aye (WR) Nay Excused
RHOADS, Karl (C)
GABBARD, Mike (VC)
CHANG, Stanley
SAN BUENAVENTURA. Joy A.
AWA, Brenton
TOTAL --------
Recommendation: _ /
1^ Adopted __ Not Adopted
Chair’yor^si^^e’s Signature:
Di^tributiOB/^ Original Yellow Pink Goldenrod
File with Committee Report Clerk's Office Drafting Agency Committee File Copy
*Only one measure per Record of Votes
Revised: 12/09/24