The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the House Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs on March 3, 2026.
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March 3, 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 HB2388 HD1 — RELATING TO ADMINISTRATIVE RULES
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair and other Committee members,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii offers comments on HB2388 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 a long-overdue solution: an online alternative.
However, there is a major area of concern in government transparency — the fact that there is no central, well-maintained website where the public can access government notices.
While an online option could help address some of the problems caused by the print-publication requirement, allowing notices to be published on a variety of state and county websites comes with its own challenges. 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, in addition to retaining the publication option, we suggest that the committee explore a standardized system that designates a single site (or sites) where all such notices can be found.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
