2026 Legislative Engagement Collaboration

This past 2026 Hawaiʻi legislative session, PONO Legal engaged in a multi-partnership collaboration with Lāhaina Strong, United Policyholders, and the William S. Richardson School of Law’s ʻAhahui o Hawaiʻi to advocate for Maui’s ongoing disaster recovery.

PONO Legal hosted seven interns to support Lāhaina Strong and United Policyholders’ legislative engagement. Interns gain hands-on experience in public policy tracking, legislative procedure, coalition coordination, and real-time policy analysis while supporting community-driven advocacy priorities. Key responsibilities included: Tracking assigned bills and resolutions relevant to coalition policy priorities; Monitoring legislative calendars and signing up for hearing notices for designated measures; Maintaining and regularly updating a centralized bill-tracking spreadsheet with status changes, amendments, and committee actions; Issuing timely alerts to coalition partners regarding critical or high-priority bills and key deadlines; Attending assigned legislative hearings (virtual or in person) and preparing concise reports summarizing: (1) Major discussion points, (2) Legislator questions and concerns, (3) Stakeholder testimony, (4) Procedural developments and next steps; Communicating findings clearly to advocacy teams to inform strategy and rapid response efforts. 

We hope to continue these types of policy advocacy partnerships to strengthen disaster recovery and resilience in Hawaiʻi.