The leaders of the two chambers of the Hawaiʻi Legislature are at odds over reopening the state Capitol.
House Speaker Scott Saiki sent out a press release Wednesday announcing the Capitol would reopen to the public on March 7, as part of several initiatives to restore public confidence in the wake of the bribery scandal involving Kalani English and Ty Cullen.
But later, Senate President Ron Kouchi sent out a statement in which he said his chamber was not consulted prior to the announcement.
Kouchi says he has been discussing the issue with Comptroller Curt Otaguro of the state Department of Accounting and General Services.
"Upon receipt of Speaker Saiki's memorandum, my office reached out to Mr. Otaguro and confirmed that Mr. Otaguro had not set March 7, 2022 as a firm reopening date with Speaker Saiki, and DAGs has not finalized policies and procedures to reopen the Capitol at this time," Kouchi said in a memo sent to senators.
He says the Senate will await more information on policies and procedures for reopening the Capitol from Otaguro before committing to a firm date.
For entry into the Capitol, the state vaccination policy requires proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result no more than 72 hours old.
