It took just seven weeks for the state Legislature to unanimously approve Senate Bill 36, which restores a means for charging suspects in felony crimes. Gov. Josh Green should sign the bill, to reinstate a long-used option for charging felony crimes that was invalidated and cited as unconstitutional by a 2022 Hawaii Supreme Court ruling, State v. Obrero.

SB 36 would clear the conflict and clarify processes, allowing for initiation of felony charges via preliminary hearing and prohibiting multiple tries to charge the same felony case using different methods, with exceptions.