Election laws get
long-needed reformThe issue: Campaign reform
passes Congress and awaits
state legislative approval.CONGRESS has acted responsibly in finally closing the loophole that has restricted direct contributions to individual candidates by allowing them to be funneled through political parties in obscene amounts. Politics will get an additional cleansing in Hawaii if the Legislature also passes reforms aimed at stopping government contracts from being purchased with campaign contributions.
Nearly a half-billion dollars was collected by the two major political parties during the 1999-2000 election cycle, more than five times that collected in 1991-92. Nearly half the donations were "soft money," the unregulated contributions to political parties from corporations, labor unions and wealthy people. Hawaii's congressional delegation was unanimous in voting to end soft money.
The new federal law is not a cure-all, but it encompasses the most significant changes in election law since the Watergate-inspired legislation of 1974. While individual contribution limits in federal races will be raised to $2,000, contributors no longer will be allowed to make unlimited donations to political parties, which have distributed money to candidates.
However, corporations and special-interest groups will be able to bundle numerous contributions and claim credit for the total, a practice that Hawaii state officials have been investigating for abuse. Federal officials will be challenged similarly to find whether campaign donors have been illegally reimbursed by companies.
Corporations, labor unions and individuals have been able to write large checks to national political parties. That "soft money" will be banned. After this year's November elections, special interests ranging from the Sierra Club to the National Rifle Association are likely to attract more contributions so they can buy "issue ads."
The new law will be challenged in the courts. Its most vulnerable provision prohibits interest groups from paying for television or radio advertising that targets federal candidates within one month of a primary election and two months of a general election. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., whose objections to the reform measure are outlined in a column on the opposite page, says the provision violates First Amendment rights and he plans to sue.
Congress has fought the battle over campaign-finance reform for years, and it may have taken the Enron Corp. scandal to bring about passage. Ironically, Enron's contributions in the last election would conform to the new standards. The company gave nearly $500,000 in bundled contributions from individuals and $280,000 from political action committees, a method that will continue to be allowed.
This will be an important year for reform if the Hawaii Legislature enacts a prohibition of campaign contributions from corporations, labor unions or anyone with a state or county contract.
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Tourism industry
has stake in state parksThe issue: A proposed bill
would direct a part of the hotel
room tax to protect natural areas.THAT visitors comprise the majority of users at Hawaii's parks and trails reflects the success the tourism industry has had in cultivating the state's natural areas as premier attractions. It makes sense then that some of the tax dollars used for tourism promotion go to properly maintain these outdoor areas. Tourism officials should support proposed legislation that would funnel as much as $2 million from hotel tax collections to manage and protect the parks.
The difficulty -- at least for the industry -- is that these provisions are attached to a bill that would reduce spending for the Hawaii Tourism Authority to $50 million annually, or $11 million less than allocated at present. Lawmakers want to redirect collections above $52 million of the transient accommodations tax, better known as the hotel room tax, into the state general fund to make up for projected revenue shortfalls.
Sen. Donna Kim, who has been critical of the HTA because of its lax accounting practices, contends that spending for tourism promotion has increased dramatically since 1998 when HTA's budget was $29 million. The increase has been significant and the HTA should not be immune from the spending cuts affecting other state agencies. However, the authority has been relatively productive in increasing tourism numbers and with the industry struggling to regain position after Sept. 11, it may be counterproductive to cut back marketing functions at this point. HTA should not be let off the hook in explaining how it uses its money, but lawmakers should resist applying what appear to be punitive measures.
At the same time, the HTA and the industry ought to recognize that they have a responsibility and a large stake in keeping state parks and natural areas in good shape. About 85 percent of visitors to Diamond Head are tourists. At Kalalau trail on Kauai's north shore, 87 percent of users are from out of state.
The other facet of successful marketing is customer satisfaction and in recent years, tourists' complaints about the condition of Hawaii's parks have increased. They point to litter, poorly maintained trails and grounds and deteriorating facilities.
The park system generally receives little attention when state funds are doled out. The bill, for the first time, would properly align Hawaii's natural areas to the tourism industry, which benefits greatly from them. It links the obligations the HTA and the industry have to the product they are selling.
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Published by Oahu Publications Inc., a subsidiary of Black Press.Don Kendall, Publisher
Frank Bridgewater, managing editor 529-4791; fbridgewater@starbulletin.com
Michael Rovner, assistant managing editor 529-4768; mrovner@starbulletin.com
Lucy Young-Oda, assistant managing editor 529-4762; lyoungoda@starbulletin.comJohn Flanagan, contributing editor 294-3533; jflanagan@starbulletin.com
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