Newswatch
It's a "unique idea," said House Judiciary Chairman Terrance Tom in endorsing the bill that calls for giving a 20 percent refund to those who successfully report tax fraud, "conniving," underpayments and failure to file.
The bill advanced to the House Finance Committee on a 9-2 vote yesterday with Republicans Cynthia Thielen and David Pendleton dissenting.
Tom noted the lack of testimony against the bill, which he labeled "an effective weapon" in the effort to ferret out deadbeat taxpayers.
While state Tax Director Ray Kamikawa referred to the legislation as an "additional tool" in his department's tax-collecting arsenal, some lawmakers took a dimmer view.
"Where do you draw the line?" asked Thielen (R, Kailua). "Is this good public policy?"
Thielen said she is concerned about public perception and fears the legislation could create divisiveness within communities.
"Be a cop, be a private investigator ... be a snitch and get a windfall," she said.
"The message you'd be sending out is pretty clear. ... Right now we're setting up a vigilante system."
"What we're saying is that this is a very high priority for the students and for us, and we want the department to find the money in its own budget," House Education Chairman David Stegmaier said yesterday.
"I just know that at this point we're faced with a huge budget shortfall again and we can't rely on additional funds from the Legislature that don't exist."
Stegmaier's committee combined two bills aimed at increasing school safety into one, House Bill 701, that would require more security guards but have them trained by the Department of Public Safety, rather than by the Education Department as they are now.
The bill, which now heads to the Judiciary Committee, did not include funding for the additional hiring or improved training, to the chagrin of student government leaders who originally sponsored the measures.
"I'm disappointed that the funding was not included. If it's going to cause further budget cuts elsewhere in the (education) department, I think that's a mistake. We're already short funding in a lot of areas," said Andrew Sullivan, vice chairman of the Hawaii State Student Council and chair of its legislative committee.
Public intermediate and high schools are currently short 65 security guards. It would cost about $1 million to hire them and an additional $50,000 to train them, Sullivan said.
The bride-to-be was identified by the Daily Telegraph of London as Sandy Pflueger, the daughter of Honolulu car dealer James Pflueger and his wife, Nancy.
Phillips, 48, and an unidentified woman yesterday were in the state building where marriage licenses are granted, a Department of Health spokesman said. However, public record laws prohibit disclosure of who applied, he said.
The marriage is expected to take place this weekend in Honolulu, the Daily Telegraph said.
Pflueger, 47, obtained British citizenship last year. She is a rider and selector for the U.S. equestrian team, which Phillips manages, and was a member of the U.S. Olympics squad at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, the Press Association of Britain reported.
The Senate version was killed, with members of the Committee on Economic Development deciding to recommend the state provide $120,000 to the Department of Agriculture to continue research on marketing such produce.
A similar bill is on hold in the House Agriculture Committee.
"Based on the information we received, we would not hire him to a position of that sort," Schmidt said.
The county became aware of the man's background after news reports about his involvement in a civil lawsuit. The suit named his father as among the men who sexually assaulted a teen-age girl who was placed in their state-approved foster home.
The man was accused in the lawsuit of sexually assaulting the girl's brother.
Schmidt said the man was hired seasonally in the Summer Pals program and had last worked during the intersession at Waihee School in October.
The state last week agreed to pay a total of $675,000 to the girl, Jennifer Medeiros, now 19, and her brother, now 16, who were in a state-approved foster program at the time of the sexual assaults.
Police arrested his wife, 48, for investigation of attempted murder. Emergency room personnel at Kapiolani Hospital at Pali Momi alerted police after determining he had a fractured skull.
- Apartment building fire alarm may have been tampered with
- Woman found near lookout had been dead two months
- Halawa Hills residents form community policing patrol