LIHU‘E — With COVID-19 cases declining statewide, state Senate President Ron Kouchi said Tuesday that the Senate will allow media members full access to the Senate gallery and press box during floor sessions.
This comes after Kouchi, who represents Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau, announced his plans to reopen the state Capitol to the general public last week.
“With COVID-19 cases on a rampant rise in early January, state and legislative leaders made the decision to keep the Capitol building closed to minimize the spread of COVID-19 among members, staff and other building occupants,” Kouchi said last week.
“With COVID-19 cases on the decline, Senate leadership will be working with the House, the governor and the Department of Accounting and General Services to formulate a reopening plan for the Capitol.”
According to Kouchi, there is no firm timeline for reopening to the general public, but they hope to finalize a plan in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, there’s still no timetable in sight for reopening Kaua‘i County Council meetings to the public, according to county officials, though councilmembers expressed hope that chambers would reopen soon.
“I am super-eager to have the public back in the building,” said Councilmember Felicia Cowden. “(Public engagement) has been incredibly limited since meetings went online. When people in government, businesspeople or nonprofits, we have regular opportunity to overlap each other, that cultivates really important ideas.”
Government meetings have been held virtually for nearly two years now, since March 2020, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Summer 2021 saw protests outside the Lihu‘e Civic Center calling for the reopening of County Council chambers, along with voicing opposition to enforced vaccination amongst adults and children.
Based on state law Act 220, boards, commissions and committees are allowed to hold remote meetings under the sunshine law. The rule usually requires meetings to provide at least one location open to the public, but Gov. David Ige’s emergency proclamation — recently extended until March 25 — suspends this requirement.
The virtual meetings match a nationwide trend that has been occurring since the onset of the pandemic. An Associated Press survey of state legislatures in 2021 found that most no longer allow people inside their chambers to observe.
“The decision is up to the chair (Arryl Kaneshiro) and the County Clerk (Jade Fountain-Tanigawa),” said Councilmember Luke Evslin. “My primary concern is ensuring that our staff is safe. But, with cases on the decline and vaccination proving very effective at preventing severe illness, I am hopeful that we’re approaching a place where we can re-open to the public.”
He added that although the public cannot physically attend meetings, they do still have the opportunity to watch meetings online and provide testimony on Zoom.
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Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
