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Governor inks bill
requiring permits, setting
limits on firecrackersBy Richard Borreca
Cayetano signs civil-service reform bill
Star-BulletinIt will cost you $25 for a permit to buy $5 worth of firecrackers, under a new law approved by Gov. Ben Cayetano.
To control the New Year s Eve pyrotechnic frenzy in Hawaii, Cayetano signed the bill yesterday, saying it was a good compromise to his proposal that all fireworks be banned.
Others argued that Hawaii has a long tradition of burning fireworks for religious and social occasions.
"I used to burn them," Cayetano said. "But as I got older and older and wiser and wiser, I could see that Honolulu is too big a city for the burning of fireworks."
Kenneth Silva, chief of the Honolulu Fire Prevention Bureau, estimated that under last year's pricing it would cost $5 to buy the limit of 5,000 firecrackers with one $25 permit.
At yesterday's state Capitol bill signing, Cayetano, Police Chief Lee Donohue and representatives of the fire department said they would prefer a total ban, but would try to enforce the new law.
The bill allows the counties to regulate the use of firecrackers and makes it a misdemeanor to store, possess, buy, sell, store or ignite aerial fireworks without a special permit.
The regulation goes into effect after this Fourth of July, so next month's festivities will likely be Hawaii's last chance to buy fireworks without a permit.
The details of how private citizens will get their permits have to be worked out by each of Hawaii's four counties. The state law regulates the sale of firecrackers and bans aerial fireworks, but the actual distribution of the permits is left up to the county councils.
"One county could have the fire department handle it, another could let parks sell the permits or someone else," Silva said.
He said the department is already seeing a lot of fireworks dealers switch from firecrackers to novelty fireworks items such as fountains and sparklers.
"I am also concerned about a possible black market," Donohue aid.
After the Fourth of July, fireworks can only be set off from 9 p.m. on New Year s Eve to 1 a.m. New Year's Day, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Chinese New Year's Day and from 1 to 9 p.m. on the Fourth of July.
Public displays are allowed only with a special permit. The bill also requires a person shipping fireworks into the state to obtain a license and clearly designate the fireworks on the bill of lading.
Those bringing fireworks into the state without a special permit would be guilty of a felony; those who take the gunpowder out of firecrackers would be guilty of a misdemeanor.
To encourage the counties to vigorously enforce the law, the counties can keep 80 percent of the fines collected.
But the new law also forbids the counties from enacting fireworks laws more restrictive than the state law, so while the law restricts fireworks sales, it also guarantees that firecrackers will continue to be part of Hawaii.
Cayetano calls civil-
By Richard Borreca
service reform bill
‘a modest step’
Star-BulletinWhile Gov. Ben Cayetano says he will sign a civil-service reform bill he describes as "a modest first step" he hopes that new leaders in next year's Legislature will push through a stronger bill.
He also says the state's increased revenues are not enough to give state workers across-the-board pay raises while still increasing benefits for social services.
Speaking to reporters yesterday at the state Capitol, Cayetano said he thought many of the major items included in his civil service reform proposal were rejected.
The Legislature decided that many changes he wanted to the law should actually be bargained or included in the next round of labor negotiations, Cayetano said.
Cayetano, in contrast, wants the change to be part of state law.
"I intend to sign it. It is a modest step, but it is a step," he said.
He hopes to talk this summer with the public union leaders. But he thinks his proposal for mandatory drug testing should be state law. He also wants to stop state workers from including overtime calculations in pension benefits.
But the change in Senate leadership expected now that President Norman Mizuguchi has announced his retirement may help the civil-service package next year, Cayetano said.
"The new leadership will clearly provide a more balanced outlook," he said.
Also, the revenue picture has changed a great deal. Estimating that the state will have more than $100 million more than anticipated when the new state budget was formulated, Cayetano called the change dramatic, but not enough for major pay increases.
Cayetano has emphasized that he wanted to increase benefits to persons on welfare.
"We could give a raise to the teachers, but not all the unions," he said.
Gov. Ben Cayetano has vetoed a bill that legislators had hoped would force the state to spend new money from the Hawaii tobacco settlement special fund for new programs. Gov vetoes bill aimed
to fund health programThe Cayetano administration had wanted the flexibility to use the money, $5 million from last year and $13 million expected for the next fiscal year, to pay for current Health Department expenses.
Cayetano said the bill he vetoed was flawed and did not include the proper designation of how the new money would be spent.
He said the bill called for the money to be put in a special fund, but does not give authorization to spend money from the new account.
"If this bill becomes law, the money appropriated must be deposited into the new Department of Health tobacco special fund, but no expenditure can be made from the special fund, because there is no appropriation out of that fund," he said.
The Legislature had wanted the money included in the tobacco settlement to go for the Hawaii Healthy Start Initiative to help poor families and infants and to provide immigrant services.
Rep. Alex Santiago (D, Pupukea), the Health Committee chairman, said the attorney general's office had initially approved the bill.
"It is unfortunate. It clearly was an important bill," Santiago said.
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