Let the sun The Legislature's closed-door policy when it comes to committee work on the state budget must be changed, said Republican members of the state House of Representatives.
shine in, say
Republicans
The 19 Republicans in the
By Pat Omandam
House want all budget deliberations
open to public review
Star-BulletinThe 19-member Republican minority, which has three members on the House Finance Committee, demanded this week that the Legislature open future budget deliberations and budget worksheets to public review.
They said leadership of the House money committee is fearful of public scrutiny and has kept secret the state's $7 billion annual budget, including line-by-line itemization of expenditures.
House Finance Chairman Dwight Takamine (D, Hilo) could not be reached yesterday for comment.
Rep. Charles K. Djou (R, Kahaluu-Kaneohe) said the public has a right to know how lawmakers spend every dime of taxpayer money. Closed-door deliberations over the budget run counter to open government, he said.
"As public servants we should always be held accountable to the electorate for our actions and never fear public scrutiny," Djou said.
Rep. Mark Moses (R, Kapolei) said Hawaii residents deserve better and should be able to observe the budget debate in the Legislature's money committees. The Senate is currently reviewing the House version of the state biennium budget.
In other action this and next week at the state Capitol:
>> Drunken driving -- The House Transportation Committee on Monday will hear a Senate bill that requires health care providers to report blood and urine test results of accident victims that indicate drug impairment to law enforcement officials.
>> A Senate bill being heard Tuesday by the House Judiciary Committee would change the name of the state Admission Day holiday to Statehood Day.
>> A joint Senate panel on Tuesday will hear a House bill that establishes a Hawaiian affairs task force to suggest options for the future of the Hawaiian people. It also will hear a bill that would fund and appoint two state deputy attorneys general to defend lawsuits filed by Patrick Barrett and John Carroll against constitutional violations of certain state agencies.
>> The Senate Minority Caucus says the Democratic majority failed to take up creative and innovative bills regarding the economy, education and collective-bargaining and civil service reform.
For example, state Sen. Bob Hogue (R, Kaneohe) said the Senate did not pass out any measures demanding strict fiscal accountability regarding the Felix consent decree. Lawmakers continue to fuel a "black hole" of $89 million in emergency appropriations for Felix compliance without any way to know if the money is actually helping special-need students.
Senate Minority Leader Sam Slom (R, Hawaii Kai) said the Republican position remains that "education, including compensation increases, is our No. 1 priority and is not mutually exclusive with keeping promises for past and future tax relief."
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