Some legislators House and Senate Republicans are using the five-day special legislative session to highlight bills that failed during the regular session.
try to expand agenda
of special session
Democratic leaders stand firm
in focusing work on the flawed
budget and bond billsBy Richard Borreca
and Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin
In the Senate there were requests that a bill languishing in conference committee be acted upon. And in the House there were GOP calls for the Democrats to pass even more government reform measures.
The Legislature was called back into session this week after Gov. Ben Cayetano said a clerical error forced him to veto three crucial bills: the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and Judiciary budgets, plus another bill authorizing the sale of state bonds.
And Sen. Fred Hemmings (R, Kailua) complained that the OHA budget was poorly prepared.
He said OHA should be called to task for not explaining why its investment portfolio of $356 million made only a 3 percent return last year.
Sen. Sam Slom asked that a bill that failed to move out of conference committee during the regular Legislature be acted on now. The bill would have exempted double excise tax payments for professional employment organizations.
Slom said the bill was important for small businesses that rely on the firms for bookkeeping and payroll services.
In the House, Rep. Joe Gomes (R, Kailua) wanted the Senate to reverse its decision not to take a final vote on a bill that would call for an audit of public employee health funds.
"This is absolutely an appropriate use of our time during this special session," said Gomes. "It was a mistake for us to be here in the first place. However, since we've convened, we should make the best, most productive use of our time.
"Furthermore, if the public union leaders have nothing to hide, they should support," Gomes said.
Democrats in leadership, however, said the session would stick to making the technical changes to the budget and bonds bills.
In the House Finance Committee meeting, there was little discussion; the committee approved new versions of the budgets of the state Judiciary and OHA yesterday.
Courts Administrative Director Michael Broderick thanked lawmakers for acting quickly on resolving the technical error, something that could have been challenged in court.
Rep. Mark Moses (R, Kapolei) questioned the need for annual general-fund appropriations to OHA and wondered if the money -- more than $300 million -- would ever be divested and given to the Hawaiian people.
OHA Deputy Administrator Ron Mun responded that the agency's Native Hawaiian Trust Fund is viewed as a perpetual trust, and it is up to trustees or the federal court to change that.
When the OHA budget came up in the Senate, Hemmings, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, argued that the budget was poorly prepared because it did not explain how the office could have made only 3 percent on its money.
He added that there were too much staff expense in the budget and that not enough money was directed toward helping native Hawaiians.
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