State tax form lets filers
donate to public libraries
Hawaii taxpayers will be able to donate $2 of their state tax refunds each year to support the state's public libraries under a bill signed into law by Gov. Linda Lingle.
It creates a check-off box on the state income tax return form so the individual taxpayer can make the $2 donation, or a couple filing jointly can donate $4.
Lawmakers said it will provide the library system with ongoing stable funding to meet increasing demands to provide books and library materials in new formats and keep up with new technology.
Unlike the check-off that designates $2 of the taxpayer's liability to the Hawaii Election Campaign Fund, the library check-off comes out of the taxpayer's refund, as does the existing $2 check-off for school repairs and maintenance.
Lingle also signed into law this month two measures relating to elections.
One is a $100,000 appropriation over two years to serve as the state's first installment of 5 percent matching funds needed to get the first $5 million of an estimated $15 million in federal funds Hawaii can get under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to train poll workers, provide voter education and improve the administration of federal elections.
The Help America Vote Act was passed by Congress to correct the sort of voter registration mix-ups and confusing ballots that threw the 2000 presidential election in Florida into chaos.
It gives states $3.9 billion to replace outdated punch-card and lever voting machines, and to improve voter education and poll-worker training.
The bill signed by Lingle initially called for $250,000, but was pared down to $100,000. A provision was included in the state budget bill assigning $200,000 each year out of the Office of Election's funding as matching funds.
"For $250,000 invested, we get $5 million," said Chief Election Officer Dwayne Yoshina. "It seems like a good thing to do."
The other bill says a landlord cannot prevent a tenant of a single-family residence from erecting otherwise legal political campaign signs on the property.
In passing the bill, lawmakers cited reports that some people who lease or rent property were prohibited from putting up signs of candidates they wanted to support.
"These situations bring to light a conflict between two separate, yet equally important rights: the citizen's need to reasonably exercise political speech, and the ability of landowners to use their property without unreasonable government intrusion," lawmakers said.
However, lawmakers said they believe "that a citizen's need to reasonably exercise political speech must be protected as long as it does not unreasonably interfere with the landowner's ability to use their property."