Hawaii SR142: Requesting the Thirty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii to Amend Its Internal Rules to Eliminate the Formal Vote Option of " with Reservations ".

What the bill says

To amend its internal rules to eliminate the formal vote option of "with reservations".

From the introduced text:

TO AMEND ITS INTERNAL RULES TO ELIMINATE THE FORMAL VOTE OPTION OF "WITH RESERVATIONS". WHEREAS, at the start of each biennium, each chamber of the Legislature adopts its own set of procedural rules setting out how votes are taken, what options members have, and how votes are formally recorded; and WHEREAS, both chambers of the Hawaii State Legislature currently permit members to vote "aye" or "no" on a measure, in addition to voting "with reservations"; and WHEREAS, Rule 71(1) of the 2025-2026 Rules of the Senate states "a member voting "with reservations" shall be counted as a favorable vote"; and WHEREAS, Rule 11.6(2) of the 2025-2026 Rules of the House of Representatives specifies for committee decision making "any member voting "with reservations" shall be deemed to be in favor of the recommendation" with the same holding true in practice for floor votes, though not explicitly stated; and WHEREAS, while "with reservations" votes allow members to keep a bill alive while still indicating their lack of total support, it oftentimes is employed to avoid having to record a clear stance; and WHEREAS, the 76 members of the Hawaii State Legislature are expected by their constituencies to vote for or against policies, yet the lack of a binary vote requirement lets legislators straddle both sides of an issue; and WHEREAS, the Hawaii …

Read the full official text

Sponsors

• Brenton Awa (R, 23) · primary sponsor

Latest actions

1. March 19, 2026: Referred to JDC.
2. March 16, 2026: Offered.

Common questions

What is SR142?

SR142 is a bill in the Hawaii Legislature (2026 Regular Session): Requesting the Thirty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii to Amend Its Internal Rules to Eliminate the Formal Vote Option of " with Reservations ".

What does SR142 do?

In its own words: To amend its internal rules to eliminate the formal vote option of "with reservations".

What is the status of SR142?

In committee as of March 19, 2026. Latest action: Referred to JDC. (March 19, 2026).

Who sponsored SR142?

Brenton Awa (R, 23).

Where is the official record for SR142?

On the Hawaii Legislature website: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SR&billnumber=142&year=2026