Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.


Starbulletin.com


Saturday, March 3, 2001



Hawaii State Seal


Republicans heady
with victory over
bill recalls

Governor praises GOP actions


By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

THE 19 members of the House minority said they feel vindicated after the House Judiciary Committee approved an age-of-consent bill that Republicans recalled to the House floor last month.

Legislature It is among more than a half-dozen bills the minority has pulled out of House committees so those issues could be debated.

"Since we first pulled this bill onto the floor, the majority party has been complaining and whining through their leadership and through a letter-writing campaign that we Republicans were obstructionists and anti-democratic," said House Minority Leader Galen Fox (R, Waikiki).

"When the bill passed out of committee, the event marked a genuine victory for the democratic process and for open government," he said.

In other action this week and next week at the state Capitol:

Bullet First crossover

Thursday is the deadline for bills to cross over to each side of the Legislature for another round of hearings and debate. Foremost for the House is the approval of its version of the two-year state budget, which will now be reviewed by the Senate.

Bullet College preparation

The House Education Committee on Wednesday holds an informational briefing of GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), a federal grant program that provides services that encourage students from the seventh grade and beyond to have high academic expectations, stay in school and study hard.

Bullet Public housing

The Uluwehi Housing Project and the Kuhio Park Terrace master plan will be discussed Friday by the House Committee on Human Services and Housing. The state Community and Housing Development Corp. will present information on the two projects.

Bullet Parental consent fails

The Senate Judicial Committee, by a 5-4 vote, killed a bill this week that requires a physician to give notice to the parent or guardian of a minor or incapacitated person prior to performing an abortion.

Bullet Ala Wai Golf Course

The state Legislature would have a say on whether the Ala Wai Golf Course should be transferred to the state from the city under a measure approved yesterday by the full House.

Lawmakers noted the rules governing the governor's executive order that grants the city use of the golf course were changed in 1993 to exclude legislative review to expedite the construction of a convention center on the golf course.

Since the convention center was built elsewhere, lawmakers said there is no need to exclude them from review of the executive order. Gov. Ben Cayetano has proposed to amend the order to turn the golf course into a state central park.

Bullet Elections oversight

The state Senate is supporting a move to do away with the state Office of Elections and return authority for state elections to the lieutenant governor's office.

Senators note that the measure, which must first get through the House, would eliminate the need to appoint a chief election officer to a separate position.



Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes
Legislature Bills


Hawaii State Seal


Governor praises GOP
actions as ‘good for
the process’


By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

THERE is nothing wrong with the House Republicans' use of their recall powers to discuss bills stuck in committees, said Gov. Ben Cayetano.

Competition is always good, said Cayetano, who challenged the majority leadership of the state Senate as part of a dissident group of six Democratic senators in the early '80s.

Legislature "Frankly, I think it is good for the process," the governor said yesterday.

"The Republicans have some pretty sharp people there. I met with them. I was invited to a Republican caucus for the very first time, and we had a good talk about the budget and the financial plan. ... Obviously, they will have an impact in what happens in the House," Cayetano said.

During a House session yesterday afternoon, the 19-member minority continued to pluck bills from committees for discussion. But, as in other measures recalled, the 32-member Democratic majority sent them back to committee once floor debate ended.

After pulling bills on the age of consent and on the elimination of the general excise tax on food, medical services and rent, Republicans recalled two education bills yesterday that remained idle in Education Chairman Ken Ito's committee.

One measure would give principals more control over their schools by recognizing them as chief executive officers and by giving them pay raises; the other would break down the statewide Board of Education into eight distinct geographic boards for more home rule.

"We all know that the current education system is not working, (and) it hasn't been working for a long time," said House Minority Leader Galen Fox (R, Waikiki).

"If we care about our children, we have to change the way we run public education. The bills we're pulling today all result in significant changes to the current system of education," Fox said.

The recalled bill on principals received bipartisan support yesterday when Democrat Ed Case (Manoa) challenged his majority colleagues to make a change and move the measure forward.

The former majority leader said principals do not need the protection of collective bargaining because they are in supervisory and management roles.

Case said keeping them in unions will pull them toward "standardization and mediocrity." Moreover, nowhere else in the country are principals in unions, he said.

House education leaders, however, disagreed. Ito (D, Kaneohe) said the bill is unfair to principals, who really do not want to be removed from unions.

Education Vice Chairman K. Mark Takai (D, Waimalu-Royal Summit) said a working group is reviewing education laws and rules, and the Legislature should wait until the study is complete before acting on these types of measures.

Democrats also defeated a recalled bill to decentralize the statewide school board into eight geographic boards of education. Ito said the bill is flawed. For example, it does not abolish the statewide Board of Education and therefore creates more bureaucracy and less efficiency.



Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes
Legislature Bills



E-mail to City Desk


Text Site Directory:
[News] [Sports] [Editorial] [Do It Electric!]
[Classified Ads] [Search] [Subscribe] [Info] [Letter to Editor]
[Feedback]



© 2001 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
https://archives.starbulletin.com