Hawaii Appointment Process for University of Hawaii Board of Regents Amendment (2020)
| Hawaii Appointment Process for University of Hawaii Board of Regents Amendment | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 3, 2020 | |
| Topic Education | |
| Status Not on the ballot | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
The Hawaii Appointment Process for University of Hawaii Board of Regents Amendment (Senate Bill 928) was not on the ballot in Hawaii as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020.[1]
This measure would have amended the state constitution to remove the requirement that the governor appoint the board of regents of the University of Hawaii from a group of candidates selected by the candidate advisory council.[2]
Text of measure
Ballot question
The ballot question for the amendment would have been as follows:[2]
| “ |
Shall the constitutional requirement that the governor make appointments to the board of regents of the University of Hawaii from pools of qualified candidates presented to the governor by the candidate advisory council for the board of regents of the University of Hawaii be repealed?[3] |
” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article X, Hawaii Constitution
The measure would have amended section 6 of Article X of the state constitution. The following [bracketed and struck-through] text would have been deleted:[2]
Section 6. There shall be a board of regents of the
University of Hawaii, the members of which shall be nominated
and, by and with the advice and consent of the senate, appointed
by the governor [from pools of candidates presented to the governor by the candidate advisory council for the board of regents of the University of Hawaii], as provided by law. At
least part of the membership of the board shall represent
geographic subdivisions of the State. The board shall have the
power to formulate policy, and to exercise control over the
university through its executive officer, the president of the
university, who shall be appointed by the board. The board
shall also have exclusive jurisdiction over the internal
structure, management, and operation of the university. This
section shall not limit the power of the legislature to enact
laws of statewide concern. The legislature shall have the
exclusive jurisdiction to identify laws of statewide concern.I[3]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Hawaii Constitution
The state process
The Hawaii State Legislature can put a proposed amendment on the ballot upon either a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers of the legislature in the same session or two simple majority votes in both chambers held in two successive sessions. Constitutional amendments must be approved by a majority of the votes cast for the question, as long as the majority also is at least 50 percent of the total votes cast in the entire election. For measures approved at special elections by a majority of votes cast for the question, the majority must be at least 30 percent of the total number of registered voters in the state at the time. The state legislative session ran from January 16 through May 2, 2019, during which time the legislature was able to place legislatively referred constitutional amendments on the ballot. The legislature can also refer amendments to the 2020 ballot during the 2020 legislative session.
2019 legislative session
Senate Bill 928 was introduced in the Senate on January 18, 2019. On March 5, 2019, the state Senate voted 24-0 in favor of the amendment with one Democratic Senator, Breene Harimoto, excused. The House did not approve the measure before the legislature adjourned its 2019 session. It was carried over to the 2020 legislative session and was not passed before the legislature adjourned on July 10, 2020.[1]
