Lingle ponders Gov. Linda Lingle says new, lower state revenue projections are not a surprise, but they have sparked a new round of closed-door meetings between lawmakers and the administration.
budget options
Lower state revenue projections put
more pressure on legislators
to balance the budgetBy Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.comThe state Council on Revenues has lowered its estimate of growth in state revenues to 4.3 percent from 6.1 percent, which translates into a reduction of almost $60 million in money available for state use.
Lingle said that she will meet with House and Senate leaders and the Republican and Democratic parties caucuses next week to figure out ways to balance the state budget.
Lingle is also scheduled to discuss long-term care and prescription drug proposals with the Legislature in a meeting set for May 21, she said yesterday.
Last Saturday, the administration spent the day working on new budget plans, but Lingle said yesterday it was still too early to make her plans public.
"We will be briefing both caucuses -- both Republicans and Democrats -- on some of the options we are looking at, but it is too early to be talking about specifically how we will address it," Lingle said in a news conference at her state Capitol office.
Lingle said she had to talk privately with the Legislature because she "didn't want to go off in a direction they are going to be completely against."
"There is no need at this point to be taking hard positions. We will continue to talk during these coming weeks," she said.
Asked if the public would be involved in the state budget debate, Lingle said: "There will be a lot of time to air it in public. People will be able to comment on it."
The governor said she was assured that she and the Legislature "are proceeding in a professional way and are addressing core functions, public safety and working together."
Lingle said that because she had to attend another meeting, she would limit reporters to only one question each during her news conference. When reporters tried to ask a second question, Lingle called on other reporters and declined to answer the first question.
She promised more information would be available to the public after the meeting with legislators.
"It will make it easier for me to come out in very specific terms and talk about what I think we should and shouldn't do," she said.
Sen. Les Ihara (D, Kahala-Palolo), who has been pushing a series of open-government proposals at the Legislature, says more effort should be made to keep the state budget process public.
Ihara said Lingle should consider holding her own public budget briefings and not limit the discussion to closed-doors caucus rooms.
"People are sensitive to open government this year, thanks in part to her, because she made open government a campaign issue, so they figure she will be a watchdog," Ihara said.
Republican Senate leader Fred Hemmings, who said he attended the financial strategy session last Saturday, said Lingle is stressing cost savings.
"There was absolutely no talk of raising taxes or fees," Hemmings said.
"From my meeting with the governor, I think there is no one solution. I think there is a comprehensive solution to solve the budget problems, including reducing spending and incentives to expand economic activity," Hemmings said.
Office of the Governor