Newswatch
House Speaker Joseph Souki and Senate President Norman Mizuguchi said they'll consider extending their earlier deadline for a settlement if it appears further talks would result in an agreement.
Technically, lawmakers have until next Friday to provide Gov. Ben Cayetano the required 10-day notice of the final language of a proposed state constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriages.
The latest figures show Hawaii has the second highest odds of having a case referred for criminal prosecution.
According to a study by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, Hawaii taxpayers in 1995 faced odds of 72 out of 1 million to be referred for prosecution.
The odds for conviction, according to the report, were 15 out of 1 million.
Those statistics have been getting progressively worse for Hawaii's tax cheats, according to the study. In 1992, Hawaii ranked 26th in chances for a criminal referral; by 1994, the state had risen to 11th of the nation's 90 tax districts.
The study used figures complied by the U.S. Justice Department and the federal courts. The clearinghouse said the IRS data weren't consistent, so it was excluded.
"It's an issue of trust," said Kapaa resident Anna Asquith. "If these guys are there to serve and protect, I think this sets a scary precedent."
Tanaka could not be reached for comment. A secretary at the Lihue Police Station Friday said Tanaka was "on vacation."
Police Chief George Freitas fired Tanaka, Randall Machado and Mel Rapozo last March after investigating a complaint from exotic dancer Monica Alves that she was fondled and photographed in suggestive poses while being held at the Lihue Police Station following her Sept. 16, 1995, prostitution arrest. Two other implicated officers resigned.
The three officers appealed their firing. An arbitrator April 4 ordered the department to reinstate Tanaka. Appeals by Machado - who last year was acquitted of sexual abuse in the case, but fined and sentenced to 30 days in jail for destroying evidence - and Rapozo are still pending.