April 7, 2026, 2 p.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 325 and Videoconference
To: House Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs
Rep. David A. Tarnas, Chair
Rep. Mahina Poepoe, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: COMMENTS ON SB2929 SD1 HD1 — RELATING TO ADMINISTRATIVE RULES
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair and other Committee Members,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii offers comments on SB2929 SD1 HD1, which would allow government agencies to satisfy public notice requirements by posting notices on official state and county websites, while retaining publication as an option.
This bill recognizes that changes in technology have limited the utility of newspaper publication as a source of public notices and proposes the long-overdue option of online posting.
However, this alternative highlights a major area of concern in government transparency: There is no central, well-maintained website where the public can easily find and access government notices.
Allowing notices to be published on a variety of state and county websites could help address some of the problems caused by the print-publication requirement, but that option comes with its own challenges. In particular, an interested individual would be forced to follow dozens of agencies’ calendars and websites for periodic and non-standardized notices, creating other potential accessibility and timeliness issues.
Therefore, we recommend that the committee retain the publication option while looking into establishing a standardized system that designates a single site where all such notices can be found.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
1050 Bishop St. #508 | Honolulu, HI 96813 | 808-864-1776 | info@grassrootinstitute.org
