Senate bill
would lift Aiona
family securityState guards provide protection
for the lieutenant governor's
wife and children
The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a bill that would remove state security protection for Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona's wife and children.
At a committee hearing yesterday, officials from the Aiona's office opposed the measure, saying that while Aiona has not received threats, he has a high profile with drug dealers as a former state judge who worked to set up the state's first drug court and has been instrumental in the state campaign against crystal methamphetamine.
John Peyton, state public safety director, refused to give details of what sort of protection is afforded to Aiona's family because of concerns about publicizing the security measures. Peyton offered to discuss the plans only in a closed-door session.
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Sen. Colleen Hanabusa, Judiciary Committee chairwoman, declined to immediately approve a closed-door session but said she would consider it.
Peyton said some of the protection details he would not go into in public include whether the Aiona family gets 24-hour protection.
Hawaii governors and their families have as a matter of routine had state security details, including armed officers driving the governor's and lieutenant governor's children on dates.
"I am debating whether or not we need an executive session on this," Hanabusa said. "But, to say that (protection should continue) because the Democrats did it is surprising, especially coming from this (Republican) administration."
The bill, Senate Bill 2372, was introduced by Sen. Russell Kokubun (D, Hilo-Naalehu), who said a constituent questioned the executive protection afforded the governor and lieutenant governor when traveling to the neighbor islands.
"What it comes down to is, how much is enough and how much is it costing us?" Kokubun said.
Peyton refused to make public the cost for executive protection. Because the executive protection officers are not a separate budget item, it is not possible to locate the cost within the state budget.
Kokubun and Hanabusa said they were not aware of how much private security was afforded to past governors and lieutenant governors, but former first lady Vicky Cayetano was driven by a state security officer and former Gov. John Waihee noted that when he was lieutenant governor, his family was afforded protection.
Attorney General Mark Bennett said at yesterday's hearing that the state Legislature should not specially exclude someone from executive protection, which is what the present Kokubun proposal would do.
"It makes no sense for security officers being forbidden from providing security," Bennett said.
Bob Awana, Lingle's chief of staff, asked why the Legislature is questioning executive protection now, when the governor and lieutenant governor are Republicans.
"We don't think anything is broken, and the protection detail should be left alone," Awana said.
