(1) A person who is not a member of either house of the legislature commits the offense of disrespect of a house of the legislature if, while the person is present at a legislative session of either house or at a hearing of any committee of either house, the person creates a breach of peace or disturbance with intent to interrupt the proceeding.

Attorney's Note

Under the Hawaii Revised Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
misdemeanorup to 1 year$2,000
petty misdemeanorup to 30 daysup to $1,000
For details, see Haw. Rev. Stat. § 706-663

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Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 710-1078

  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
  • Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
(2) Whenever there is probable cause to believe that a person has violated subsection (1), the person shall be subject to arrest and removal from the presence of the legislature or either house or any committee of a house, by the sergeant-at-arms of the affected house or by any other law enforcement officer of the State, as directed by the sergeant-at-arms.
(3) Disrespect of a house of the legislature is a petty misdemeanor.