It’s 9:10 a.m. and the state House of Representatives and the floor session was supposed to have begin already. But the House has not yet published its Order of the Day; lawmakers are slowly filing into the chamber while a few folks have already grabbed seats in the gallery.

Outside in the Rotunda, school kids from Lunalilo Elementary march through wearing matching red T-shirts. Inside, many of the House staff — the men, anyway — are wearing bow ties in solidarity.

Already a rumor is circulating that there will be floor amendments introduced — a last-minute maneuver to get controversial language into bills. Will they include Senate Bill 755, the environmental exemption measure coveted by Speaker Calvin Say?

The gavel is suddenly sounded. Majority Leader Pono Chong delivers an invocation, calling for a moment of silence to honor the work of the Legislature.