Did you know that Hawaiʻi is only one of two states in the country with a public access room? So what's everyone else missing out on?
HPR posed that question to Andy Langhurst, who took over as head of the office from longtime coordinator Virginia Beck two years ago.
The Public Access Room was created more than three and a half decades ago. Under Langhurst, the changes to improve access to the public have included improving website services.
The legislative process can be daunting, but the staff aims to break it down — from deadlines to introduce new bills, to key dates for bills to crossover from one chamber to another.
HPR stopped by the Capitol and spoke with Langhurst about making it easier for everyday citizens to track bills on issues they care about.
Interview Highlights
What is the mission of the Public Access Room?
ANDY LANGHURST: I think the mission is for us to help people in Hawaiʻi learn how they can participate in the legislative process and feel like they have more of a say in how Hawaiʻi runs as a state.
How does the PAR help the public understand the legislative process?
LANGHURST: We're not attorneys, so we don't interpret what a bill is supposed to do. If people have that question, we encourage them to go to their legislator. But if they're trying to find information, we want to make that as easy for them as possible. ... But another important thing about the Public Access Room is we're nonpartisan, so we are not here to tell somebody if an idea is good or bad. We're here to tell them how to get an idea through the process.
How many people use PAR services?
LANGHURST: We serve people in a variety of ways — through phone calls and walk-ins, emails, workshops. So for fiscal year 2024-2025, we answered over 500 emails. We served over 2,000 people through the workshops we present, which was about 3,000 minutes of workshop presentation. We did almost 70 workshops. In terms of walk-in patrons, over 3,000 for that year as well.
When is the PAR open?
LANGHURST: We're open year-round. But during the legislative session, we get way more calls and walk-in users and more frequent questions about submitting testimony or the status of bills. Whereas the other six or eight months of the year, we're answering, "What happened to that bill? Did it make it through the governor?" So the pace of our job changes, and the types of questions change over time.
What types of questions do people ask?
LANGHURST: People don't always understand what they're asking us, and that's fine. We're here to help them figure that out. So while somebody may call us asking about feral chickens, they may not realize what they're looking for until we start asking them questions about what legislator was it related to, or how long ago it was. And so while they might say, I heard there was this bill, it may not be a bill from this year. And so sometimes we'll go back a little bit of time or farther back. And then what we can also help people, and this is what we encourage people to do themselves as well, is compare those.
Can I ask the same question twice?
LANGHURST: We don't think a question is a stupid question, and we're happy to answer the same question every day. So if you want to call on a Monday and say, "What's the status of this bill?" and check back with us on Friday, we're happy to answer that question. We don't expect people to call us once and know everything. We're here to help people get involved. And whether you're somebody who automatically remembers every word the first time you hear it, or maybe want to call a couple of times or email us, that's what we're here for. We like getting phone calls. We like getting questions, and we love people when they walk in — just because it makes our days more varied.
For more information, click here. Or give the team a call at 808-587-0478. Also, be sure to mark your calendars: March 12 is crossover, when bills heard in one chamber of the Legislature make their way to the other.
Hawaiʻi State Capitol resources:
- Hawaiʻi State Legislature website
- Contact your state lawmakers
- Submit testimony on a bill
- Upcoming committee hearings
- Office of Gov. Josh Green website
This story aired on The Conversation on Feb. 26, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Tori DeJournett adapted this story for the web.
