HB673 & SB353 aim to add transparency to the state and county's emergency management practices. It specifies that during emergencies, requests for public records or vital records cannot be suspended. This should be a no-brainer. Public records are public for a reason. Stripping away transparency in government affairs does nothing but engender distrust and resentment from the people of Hawaii.
The bill also introduces the concept of "severe warning" and allows the Legislature and city councils to terminate a state of emergency declared by the Governor or Mayor, respectively, with a two-thirds majority vote. This is a good step toward localizing government power during emergencies, and could prevent the types of unilateral control experienced in Hawaii during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Governor Green has made clear his lack of faith in localized responses, so this may be a difficult one to pass.
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