Through the passage of a resolution today, the Hawai‘i State Senate has created a new Senate Special Investigating Committee on COVID-19 with subpoena power. This new investigative committee will supplement, if necessary, the existing informal Senate Committee on COVID-19. The addition of this new investigative committee will give the Senate the greatest flexibility to obtain the information it needs.
The Investigating Committee will give the Senate legal authority to mandate a response from witnesses and compel records. The committee may also administer oaths and report instances of contempt. The subjects of the inquiries will be entitled to legal representation and will have the ability to legally challenge requests.
Hearings will continue to be televised live on ‘Ōlelo on O‘ahu, Akakū on Maui, Nā Leo o Hawaiʻi Island, and Ho‘ike on Kaua‘i, and streamed live on the internet. The committee will issue written reports and recommendations to the Senate.
The Senate Special Committee on COVID-19 was established on March l8 to review the state’s response to the pandemic, and the Senate Investigating Special Committee on COVID-19 was created today by Senate Resolution 198.
The members of both committees are Senators Donovan Dela Cruz, Jarrett Keohokalole, Michelle N. Kidani, Donna Mercado Kim, Sharon Moriwaki, and Kurt Fevella.
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