Legislature ends Gov. Ben Cayetano said he is pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the state Legislature, giving it a grade of A-minus as it concluded its work.
on strong note
The governor gives lawmakers
an A-minus for their productivityBy Pat Omandam, Crystal Kua and Richard Borreca
pomandam@starbulletin.com
ckua@starbulletin.com
rborreca@starbulletin.com"I think this is going to help them in the coming election," Cayetano said yesterday. "If I had to grade them, I'd give them, right now, without having looked at the budget and all of that, I'd give them at least an A-minus. But who am I to grade anybody?"
The governor praised bills on campaign finance reform, mandatory drug treatment before incarceration, bulk prescription drug rates for residents, health insurance oversight and a cap on gasoline prices.
Cayetano lauded the efforts of state Reps. Roy Takumi (D, Pearl City), Ken Hiraki (D, Kakaako) and Ken Ito (D, Kaneohe) and Sens. Norman Sakamoto (D, Moanalua) and Brian Kanno (D, Kapolei) -- all committee chairmen -- for their leadership in pushing these programs through their respective bodies.
"There was a point in the session where I felt that they weren't going to do anything bold, and they proved me wrong. And I'm really very, very pleased and proud that those young chairs, in particular, because I think they bode very well for the future of the Legislature," the governor said.
The final day of the 60-day session began yesterday with the state Senate taking up a handful of issues, the most controversial being the death-with-dignity bill. After nearly three hours of debate -- some of it moving senators to tears -- the Senate voted to kill the measure by a 14-11 vote. But the issue is expected to return next year.
Meanwhile, both chambers did approve a bill that caps the price of gasoline. The effective date, however, was delayed by two years to allow future Legislatures to tweak details of the bill or even repeal it.
Also, lawmakers of Hawaiian ancestry criticized members yesterday for not creating a new law to give a portion of ceded-land revenue to the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. A Hawaii Supreme Court ruling last fall invalidated the current law that requires annual revenue payments to the agency.
"OHA has essentially been cut off of the state budget process," Sen. Kalani English (D, Wailuku) said. "OHA will receive no funding at all. I find this extremely difficult to swallow."
OHA officials said they are focused on getting the 2003 Legislature to tackle the issue.
"It is a stab at Hawaiians to pay zero on the state's ceded-land revenue obligation owed to OHA," said its chairwoman, Haunani Apoliona.
The session officially ended about 6:20 p.m. yesterday, after the House said farewell to six members who are immediately seeking another elected office this fall. The Senate concluded its work about two hours earlier.
"How can I possibly say all that I feel after eight of the best, hardest, most rewarding years of my life?" said Ed Case (D, Manoa), who left the House to run for Hawaii governor as a Democrat.
A seventh departee, Rep. Lei Ahu Isa of Liliha, did not attend the final day of the session. In a story in yesterday's Star-Bulletin, Ahu Isa announced she was switching political parties and becoming a Republican after differences with the Democrat Party.
In closing, House Speaker Calvin Say (D, Palolo) said he was proud of his chamber's work and said the free exchange of ideas offered by all members showed in a bold and decisive session.
"We have managed to put together a productive session," Say said.
House Majority Whip Brian Schatz (D, Makiki) added legislators tackled agendas on every front.
"I think we showed some real guts," he said.
Senate President Robert Bunda said the budget was the key success for this session.
Bunda (D, Wahiawa) fought for a solution to the $315 million budget deficit for most of the session and was instrumental in pushing the Legislature to tap $140 million in special funds.
"Our requests for justification of the billions of dollars in these funds revealed some major shortcomings, and I hope it will provide the basis for true structural reform in the next session," he said.
Bunda, who has presided over a fractured Senate Democratic majority, said he wished all 25 senators could return. But, because of reapportionment, several senators will have to run against each other in the September primary. Sens. David Matsuura (D, South Hilo) and Lorraine Inouye (D, North Hilo), for instance, both live in the new 1st Senate district.
After the Senate adjourned yesterday, Matsuura said he and Inouye had agreed on most issues during this session. But they disagreed on the death-with-dignity bill, as he opposed it and she supported it.
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