Thread by @Taniel

wow: Hawaii Governor Ige (Dem) VETOED 2 criminal justice reform bills!
—1st would have reformed civil asset forfeiture to actually require felony conviction. #HB748
—2nd would have authorized early release for ppl who are terminally ill & are determined to pose no threat. #HB629

The @acluhawaii was a major advocate in pushing these bills forward, & I imagine they're sure to push for them again.

I actually wrote on Hawaii in March, when Dems buried the legislation to abolish disenfranchisement after it passed one committee. appealpolitics.org/2019/hawaii-pr…

When we think about the spaces that Democrats and/or progressives have to push for reform, we usually think of the (few) states that have Democratic trifectas. This is a reminder that even low-hanging fruits like those 2 bills Ige vetoed can be tough, tough sells in those spaces.

(Also, I should say #HB748 & #HB629 are just the two bills I'd seen & had my eye on. This isn't meant as an exhaustive list of bills we should question Ige for vetoing!)

If you're following this thread, below is ACLU's case for why #HB748 (the civil asset forfeiture bill) mattered.

And... there's more. Ige ALSO vetoed a bill to loosen restrictions on hemp "to stay in line with the federal rules": hawaiipublicradio.org/post/hawaii-he…

https://twitter.com/acluhawaii/status/1146174869375111168

Wait, remarkable: Ige ALSO vetoed a bill meant to "authorize qualifying patients or qualifying out-of-state patients to transport medical cannabis between islands for their personal medical use." capitol.hawaii.gov/advreports/adv…

This is an eye-opening week as to the politics of Gov. Ige.

if you're wondering whether Hawaii needs big reform, here's one finding for you:

“for any given determination of guilt, Native Hawaiians are much more likely to get a prison sentence,” and this even “controlling for age, gender, and type of charge.” …3s8o4xza0gf14-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/upl…