Advertisement - Click to support our sponsors.
THE Legislature is slicing away big parts of Gov. Ben Cayetano's wish list, but the governor is trying to be optimistic. Lawmakers chip away
at governor’s agendaBy Richard Borreca
Star-Bulletin
In the state House, the Finance Committee dumped Cayetano's plans for a state-funded world-class aquarium, while the Senate Ways and Means Committee figures it can save money by delaying a planned state income tax cut, which is a cornerstone of Cayetano's economic recovery plan.
Finally, Cayetano's plan to turn the state's unneeded hurricane relief fund into an interest-earning fund for scholarships for all qualified Hawaii high school graduates also has been dropped.
The trio of plans are all big parts of Cayetano's public legislative agenda, but fellow Democrats in the House and Senate, who were not encouraging when the plans were proposed in the State of the State address, are now saying they are all dead for the year.
"If we don't do it this year, we will try again next year. Or we will try something else," said Cayetano about his plans for the state-funded scholarships.
He suggests now that if the Legislature does not want to dedicate the interest earned on the more than $120 million in the hurricane fund for statewide scholarships, it could be used to pay for the college education of students who want to become teachers in Hawaii.
"I asked some legislators, informally, if they would be willing to set aside some of it for a crash program for scholarships for people going into teaching," Cayetano told reporters yesterday at a news conference at the state Capitol.
"Nothing is ever dead until the end," he said.
Cayetano is more pugnacious in defending his tax cuts, which were to provide $1.5 billion in tax reductions in three stages.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee is proposing stopping the cuts after the first one, to save money that could be used to fund public employee pay raises.
"I don't support that. I think it is a step backward. We struggled to put all these tax cuts back into the pockets of our people," Cayetano said.
Asked is he would approve the bill if approved by the Legislature, Cayetano said no.
"I already told them, I will veto it because I don't think it is a step in the right direction," he said.
As for his aquarium plan, Cayetano said there is still time to adjust the funding to pay for it.
"As for the aquarium, I hope to sit down with them and talk to them about why I think it is important. In order to make money, you need to spend money," Cayetano said.
Legislature Directory
Hawaii Revised Statutes
Legislature Bills
