Hawaii Senate Bill SB1562

Hawaii 2023 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/25/23
• Refer: 1/30/23

Caption

Relating To Reapportionment.

Impact

The bill also seeks to define the criteria for determining 'permanent residents' in the context of reapportionment. It requires the Commission to only consider permanent residents when apportioning seats, effectively separating them from the total population numbers provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. This demarcation has implications for legislative representation, particularly in regions with high populations of non-permanent residents, such as students or military personnel, thereby potentially decreasing their influence in the legislature.

Summary

SB1562 sets out to amend legislative reapportionment procedures in Hawaii, particularly concerning how the House of Representatives is apportioned. The bill stipulates that the Reapportionment Commission assign representatives among multi-member districts, with a maximum of three members per district that generally align with existing Senate district boundaries. By doing so, the bill aims to create a more uniform approach to legislative representation across the state, emphasizing the significance of districts that reflect the population distribution more accurately based on recent census data.

Contention

Notable points of contention surrounding SB1562 include concerns over the robustness of the public consultation process mandated by the bill. The requirement for public hearings within each basic island unit is intended to incorporate community input into the reapportionment plan; however, questions have been raised about the adequacy of this process in ensuring equitable representation. Detractors are wary that the proposed timelines and the manner in which public feedback is solicited may not be comprehensive enough to capture the diverse views of constituents, particularly in culturally varied regions of Hawaii.