Legislature kills Republican Gov. Linda Lingle's agenda has suffered a setback with 40 percent of her bills apparently already dead.
40 percent
of Lingle’s bills
Her plan to turn over fines
for traffic tickets to the counties is lostBy Richard Borreca
rborreca@starbulletin.com
She has introduced 166 bills each in the House and Senate, and 65 appear unlikely to make today's cutoff as legislators cast the first round of key votes.
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Lingle has already lost much of her school reform package, which called for creating seven separate school districts, taking principals out of their union and making them management positions, and authorizing pay differentials for teachers.
Today, the House and Senate vote on the bills and then send them to the other chamber for further scrutiny and negotiation. If a measure has not made it to today's vote, it is considered dead for the 2003 legislative session.
Besides the education bills, Lingle has also lost her proposal to turn over fines from traffic tickets to the counties. The bill had the support of the counties, and Lingle had argued it would be fairer to the counties because their police officers are responsible for enforcing the traffic laws.
One Lingle bill that is moving would raise the standard tax deduction over a four-year period, resulting in fewer people owing state taxes.
Hawaii has long been criticized by tax review commissions for not raising the standard deduction to the same level as the federal deduction. Single state taxpayers can deduct $1,500, while federal taxpayers are allowed a deduction of more than $5,000.
The University of Hawaii also lost a bid for further autonomy as the Legislature refused to move a bill to allow UH to negotiate its own union contracts. The bill would have also given that independence to the counties and the state hospitals.
Public employee unions had opposed the bill, saying the labor contracts are built on the premise that a public employee of a certain classification, such as a secretary, should get paid the same no matter what office he or she may work in.
At the same time, the Senate is considering raising state taxes to give public schools more money, an idea that Lingle considers dangerous.
The governor declined to say if she would veto a tax increase, but she warned lawmakers that they should take her views into consideration before adding programs and balancing the budget with a tax increase.
"I think ... the probability of our country getting into a serious military conflict in the Middle East should give anyone pause about making any sort of changes like increasing taxes or spending," Lingle said.
"It is not the time you want to raise taxes," she warned.
House and Senate members spent yesterday in closed caucuses, discussing the bills they will vote on today, and were unavailable for comment.
Lingle also was unable to move her bill to repeal the June 30 expiration for Hawaii's changes to the age-of-consent law.
The law changing the age of consent to 16 from 14 expires this year, after a trial period. Lingle had asked that the sunset provision be repealed.
Here are major bills offered by Gov. Linda Lingle that were killed in the Legislature: Killed bills
>> SB 1273: Electronic surveillance; conforms Hawaii laws to federal laws.
>> SB 1276: Terrorism; creates the crime of terrorism, including unlawful production of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
>> SB 1290: Recycling; allows a preference for made-in-Hawaii recycled products.
>> SB 1292: Extends the tax credit for solar, wind, heat pumps and ice storage systems to 2007.
>> SB 1342: Charter schools; removes the cap on the number of new and conversion charter schools.
>> SB 1368: Waste management; repeals the mandatory bottle recycling bill.
>> SB 1380: Fireworks; allows counties to regulate use of fireworks.
