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HCR 138

House concurrent resolution honoring Christine J. Brock for her 52 years of dedicated public service on the staff of the Vermont Judiciary

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Tiff Bluemle

The bill directs a study to determine how Hawaii could adopt and publish fiscal notes, including methods, costs, barriers, and implementation options.

Adopted pursuant to Joint Rule 16b
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Bill Summary · HCR 138

HCR 138 — Summary

Status: Concurrent resolution (HCR 138) — Referred to LMG, FIN; Adopted by Legislature; Sent to Governor 5/30/2025; Signed by Governor 6/20/2025. Introduced/Filed: March–April 2025. Companion: HR 132.

Purpose

HCR 138 requests that the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) conduct a study to evaluate how Hawaii could adopt fiscal notes as part of its legislative process and to estimate the projected financial impacts of doing so. The study is intended to inform lawmakers on implementation options, costs, barriers, and draft legislation if appropriate.

Key provisions / tasks requested of the LRB

The resolution asks the LRB to examine and report on:

  1. Whether fiscal notes should be adopted by statute or by House Rules (the most appropriate method).
  2. The staffing, salaries, and program costs necessary to implement fiscal notes.
  3. How to make fiscal notes publicly available (e.g., via the Hawaii State Legislature website).
  4. Potential implementation barriers such as staffing limits, costs, and technological issues.
  5. Case studies of other states (explicitly naming Colorado, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas) with attention to how they overcame similar barriers.
  6. The option of using the existing Office of the Legislative Analyst (HRS §21F‑6) for implementation, as recommended in HB 296 (2025).

The LRB is also requested to include findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation.

Who would be affected

  • Legislature (House and Senate) — changes to legislative workflow and voting information.
  • Legislative support agencies (LRB, Office of the Legislative Analyst) — potential new responsibilities and staffing needs.
  • State and local government budget officers — fiscal notes would estimate costs/impacts on agencies and localities.
  • The public — increased transparency through publicly available fiscal impact information.

Timeline and procedural notes

  • The LRB must submit its report, including recommendations and any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2026.
  • As a concurrent resolution, HCR 138 requests a study and does not itself change law or add statutory requirements.

Potential impacts

  • Improved transparency and information for lawmakers and the public on fiscal consequences of measures.
  • Upfront and ongoing costs for staff, training, and IT systems to prepare fiscal notes; specific dollar amounts were not determined by this resolution and are to be estimated by the LRB.
  • Possible procedural changes depending on whether implementation is done by rule or statute and whether existing offices (e.g., Legislative Analyst) are used.

Legislative actions (selected)

  • Offered: 2025-03-07
  • Referred to LMG, FIN: 2025-03-14
  • Filed/Introduced: 2025-04-16
  • Adopted by Legislature: 2025-05-23–05-27 (House and Senate actions)
  • Sent to Governor: 2025-05-30; Signed by Governor: 2025-06-20

This resolution establishes a fact-finding step to guide potential future changes to Hawaii’s legislative procedures regarding fiscal transparency.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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