Legislature – Bill Writing
Creating positive change in a community can happen in many different ways. One powerful way is through legislation.
Laws shape many aspects of daily life, from education and public safety to environmental protection and access to community resources. Through legislation, people can address challenges, propose solutions, and help improve their communities.
This guide will support students in developing their own legislative proposals through the bill-writing process. Along the way, students will identify community issues, research existing laws, design solutions, and prepare their bills for debate. It is designed to be used independently so that students can return to a previous step should their previous ideas for a bill fail, as naturally happens in the lifetime of a bill (or resolution) and as a legislator.
Completed bills and resolutions may be submitted for consideration at the annual Hawai‘i Youth & Government Legislative Conference, where students have the opportunity to debate, amend, and vote on legislation alongside their peers from across the state.
Resources
Before creating your own legislation, it is important to understand how bills move through the Hawaiʻi Legislature.
Most bills begin with an idea from a legislator, community member, organization, or advocacy group. That idea is researched, drafted into legislative language, introduced in the Legislature, reviewed by committees, debated, amended, and voted on before potentially becoming law.
Across these learning steps, you will be able to engage in the first steps of a Bill. Remember that it is not about sticking to one idea, but evolving your idea and creating something you feel passionate about.
Legislation can create change in different ways. Most bills written for Youth & Government will fall into one of three categories:
1. Create (Provisions)
These bills create something new.
They may:
- Establish a new program
- Create a new service
- Provide funding for a project
- Introduce a new requirement
Examples:
- Creating a statewide youth mental health grant program
- Funding additional school counselors
- Establishing a community recycling initiative
2. Change (Regulations)
These bills change how something currently operates.
They may:
- Modify existing laws
- Increase or reduce requirements
- Change procedures
- Adjust funding structures
Examples:
- Increasing the minimum marriage age
- Changing school attendance policies
- Revising environmental permit requirements
3. Protect (Rights)
These bills protect people, communities, or resources.
They may:
- Create legal protections
- Restrict harmful activities
- Strengthen safety requirements
- Prevent discrimination or exploitation
Examples:
- Protecting native ecosystems
- Strengthening consumer protections
- Restricting child marriage
Find out more about the life of a Bill: https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/overview-of-the-legislative-process/idea-to-introduction-the-birth-of-a-bill/
Although this guide primarily references bills, students may also choose to write resolutions for the YMCA Youth & Government Legislative Conference.
Unlike bills, resolutions do not create law. Instead, they express the opinion, intent, or position of a legislative body. Resolutions may be used to recognize individuals or events, establish honorary designations, request studies, encourage action by government agencies, or highlight issues of public importance.
Once introduced, resolutions follow the same legislative process as bills, including committee hearings, debate, and voting. However, resolutions differ from bills in both purpose and structure.
Types of Resolutions
Resolutions may be introduced in one of two forms:
Single Chamber Resolutions
- HR (House Resolution)
- SR (Senate Resolution)
These resolutions must be considered and adopted only by the chamber in which they originate. They express the will and intent of either the House or the Senate.
Concurrent Resolutions
- HCR (House Concurrent Resolution)
- SCR (Senate Concurrent Resolution)
These resolutions must be adopted by both chambers. They express the will and intent of the Legislature as a whole.
Structure of a Resolution
Resolutions are written differently from bills.While bills are organized into sections that propose changes to law, resolutions are composed of a series of clauses:
Whereas clauses provide background information, context, and justification for the resolution. These typically begin with broader statements and become increasingly specific.
Be It Resolved clauses state the action, request, recognition, or position being adopted by the legislative body.
The final clause identifies the individuals, agencies, organizations, or other parties to whom the adopted resolution should be transmitted.
Bills and Resolutions at a Glance
| Bill | Resolution |
| Creates, amends, or repeals law | Expresses a position, request, recognition, or recommendation |
| Prefixes: HB = House Bill SB = Senate Bill | Prefixes: HCR = House Concurrent Resolution SCR = Senate Concurrent Resolution HR = House Resolution SR = Senate Resolution |
| If passed, it is enrolled to the Governor | Is not enrolled to the Governor for approval |
Examples of this and further information on structure and information can be found in the Bill Writing Guide and Well-Written Bill (Resolution) Guide.
Use the links to also see Resolutions which were adopted by the 2026 Hawai‘i State Legislature and the complete list of resolutions introduced.
Learning Objectives
- Identify core needs within the community
- Evaluate the current causes of these issues and needs
- Explain how state government can help address community issues through legislation
Time: 40 minutes / 60 minutes
Communities are constantly changing. While many changes are positive, challenges still exist that affect people across Hawai‘i. Legislators identify these issues, research their causes, and propose solutions through legislation. In this step, you will begin exploring issues that matter to you and consider whether government action could help create positive change.
What challenges do you think are currently affecting people in Hawai‘i?
This could relate to:
- Education
- Housing
- Environment
- Public Health
- Transportation
- Economy and Workforce
- Public Safety
Stretch: Are there any connections between the issues you have identified?
Challenge: How do you think the government may have influenced these issues in the past?
Read articles about at least two of the issues that you identified.
You may use the Civil Beat Categories link to help you find these articles:
For each issue, identify:
- A description of the issue
- One statistic or piece of evidence
- A possible cause
- A group most affected
Stretch: What has the government looked to do about this issue in the past?
Challenge: Are there any core reasons why previous solutions have failed?
Create a core issue map for one of the issues. You can present this in a mind map, table, or other format to include:
Template – https://canva.link/o2x5d8j7mcc2obd
- The issue
- Who is affected
- Causes of the issue
- Evidence supporting the need for action
- Potential government responses
- Highlight any which could become legislation
Legislation must:
- Be something that the state has control over and not the federal government
- Require a bill for the result to be achieved
- Could other funding solve this?
- Could an existing program solve this?
- Is the state government the right organization to address this issue?
- Either be new or must alter prior legislation in place
Stretch: Why do you think your idea may not have previously been put into legislation?
Challenge: How do you think the different contexts of legislators affect the bills they present?
Learning Objectives
- Identify any legislation that currently exists relating to the solution area
- Compare existing and previous legislation relating to their issue area
- Construct a Legislative Landscape Map relating to the solution area
Time: 30 minutes / 60 minutes
Before proposing new legislation, it is important to understand what is already being done. Legislators research existing laws, previous bills, and government authority to determine whether change is needed and how their proposal can make the greatest impact.
Why is it important to understand current legislation before enacting change?
- What can it tell us about our own bills?
- How might it help us understand our area of study?
- What types of issues do you think the Hawaiʻi State Legislature can influence?
- If laws already exist, why might the issue continue today?
Stretch: What core reasons do you think some bills fail?
Challenge: How might new factors have affected previous legislation to make it outdated?
Using the resources, find instances where your bill proposal area has already been involved in legislation.
Read each source and organize these into a list of legislation, unsuccessful bills, in-progress bills, and similar fields.
Search across all fields here: https://search.capitol.hawaii.gov/
This video can help you with reading Hawai‘i’s Bills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1UN_C1rEjQ
Study current legislation in the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes here: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrsall/AllDivisions.aspx
Find in-progress bills here: https://civilbeat.digitaldemocracy.org/
Find at least one statistic, news article, report, or other source that demonstrates why the issue still exists today.
Stretch: Are there any patterns you recognize across legislator efforts?
Challenge: Looking further into the pathway of the bills, how do you think your bill could be a success?
Create a Legislative Landscape Map.
This should show:
- Current laws relating to your topic.
- Previous or pending bills relating to your topic.
- Evidence that the issue still exists.
- Areas of support for further action.
- Areas of opposition or challenge.
- How your future bill will differ from existing approaches.
Stretch: Add your own Bill outline to your Landscape map, considering similarities and differences.
Challenge: How might federal powers limit the scope of your bill and the current legislation?
Learning Objectives
- Recognize the key features of effective Bill writing
- Explain the requirements of the bill structure to create a complete bill draft
- Design a legislative solution that addresses a state issue
Time: 40 minutes / 60 minutes
After identifying an issue and researching existing legislation, the next step is to design a solution. Legislators use bills to propose changes to existing laws, create new programs, provide funding, or protect people and communities. In this step, you will develop your own legislative proposal and begin transforming your ideas into a bill that could be debated at Youth & Government.
What do you think is important about a strong Bill?
- Is there a best length for a Bill?
- Is there important information that must be included in a Bill?
- What is not needed in a Bill?
Stretch: Why do you think it is important to have a consistent Bill structure?
Challenge: How do you think you can use the Bill structure to help your Bill gain support?
Using the Bill Writing Guide, Well-Written Bill, and Bill Template, identify the key information you will need for each section of your bill.
Before writing, consider:
- What change are you proposing?
- Who will be affected?
- Who will implement the bill?
- How will the bill be funded?
- How will success be measured?
Then begin organizing information into the appropriate sections of the bill template.
Stretch: Which area do you think sees the most mistakes when creating the bill?
Challenge: Are any areas of the bill more important than others for specific bills?
Create your Bill following the steps and using the guidance of the Bill Writing Guide and Well-Written Bill to help with this. You may also wish to refer to last year’s Book of Bills to help you with this.
Be careful to consider:
- How achievable is your bill?
- Have you addressed any previous legislation requirements?
- Is your idea clear while not being overly complex?
- Does it clearly address the issue?
- Is your bill within the authority of the Hawaiʻi State Legislature?
- Was your Bill covered during the last Youth & Government Legislative Session?
Stretch: Have you managed to clearly finance your bill?
Challenge: What unintended consequences could result from your bill?
Learning Objectives
- Understand the process of Bill review and development
- Evaluate and justify the funding required for their bill
- Construct a Stakeholder Analysis
Time: 30 minutes / 60 minutes
After creating your Bill, it is crucial to review and refine it. The majority of Bills fail to become legislation, stalling because of small details. In this step, we will take the time to consider any areas that haven’t been covered, need additional information, and how core stakeholders may react to your current legislation.
Consider who may have supported one of the example projects and why that support mattered.
- What issue does your bill address?
- What evidence do you have that demonstrates a need for action?
- Does your bill change or build upon existing legislation?
- What specific action does your bill require?
- What problems might someone raise about your bill?
Stretch: Are there any areas that you struggled to articulate clearly?
Challenge: How might this help to support the strength of your bill?
Confirm any funding requirements for your bill.
Consider:
- What will this bill cost to start?
- What will it cost each year?
- What resources will be needed (staff, materials, programs)?
You may wish to look at the State of Hawai‘i Budget in Brief for 2027: https://budget.hawaii.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Budget-in-Brief-FY-27-BIB.xApH_.pdf
Ensure you have a clear outline of costs to reference when debating your bill.
Stretch: If you do not require funding, how might this impact government departments?
Challenge: Can you clearly justify your spending as crucial to the State of Hawai‘i?
Construct a stakeholder analysis to consider how key groups may view your bill. Include how you may be able to address their specific needs or concerns
- Public leaders
- Community leaders
- Business leaders
- Small Business Owners
- Families
Consider using AI to ask what the key priorities might be for each of the different groups using the following prompt.
‘What are some of the top priorities for ________ in Hawai‘i when considering proposed Bills in Legislative session?’
Stretch: Which groups do you think you can rely on for support? Why?
Challenge: How can you make your Bill most palatable across different interest groups?
Learning Objectives
- Explain how the Bill maintains the guidelines of Youth & Government
- Contrast the Bill with an alternative form of legislation
- Appraise your Bill against the core criteria
Time: 30 minutes /60 minutes
Review and refinement of your Bill is essential to ensuring that it has the opportunity to be debated and voted on in the Legislature. Use this step to consider some of the final aspects of review before finalizing your Bill to ensure it can survive debate.
Explain to somebody else how your Bill fits into the YMCA Core Values of Caring, Honesty, Respect, and Responsibility.
How does your Bill support positive change within Hawaiʻi?
Stretch: How might somebody not see your Bill as supporting positive change?
Challenge: Which core values do you think are most important to see within Bill Writing?
Study the sample Bills. Rank the Bills with which you think is most ready for active debate.
Consider:
- Have they clearly addressed each of the core sections of a Bill?
- Does their Bill appear to be within state control?
- Is funding correctly detailed and clearly identified?
- How might you improve its chances of success in the legislative process?
Stretch: How do these Bills compare to the Bill that you created?
Challenge: Which bill do you think would be most likely to pass a committee review? Why?
Using the rubric, complete a final review of your Bill. Consider the sample bills, guidebooks, and other resources to help with improvements.
You may look to support your bill preparation packet with:
- Final Bill
- Stakeholder Analysis
- Funding Summary
- Rubric Review
- Bill Summary
Stretch: What will be the key areas you may need to focus on to defend your bill?
Challenge: How can you look to support your Bill as a Legislator?
Reflection: How can our Government make a difference in our communities?