Pressure's on to get more

An estimated 4,000 bills will be taken up by the Legislature after it reconvenes today

As the state Legislature reconvenes today, lawmakers, lobbyists and state officials are united in a simple wish: They all want more.

From Attorney General Mark Bennett, who wants to ban more weapons, to the Hawaii State Teachers Association, which wants more teachers and more money to fix schools, to Gov. Linda Lingle, who wants a record-setting state budget increased by $528.5 million.

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And Rep. Marilyn Lee (D, Mililani-Mililani Mauka) wants Day-Glo flags for pedestrians to wave while crossing busy streets after 34 pedestrian deaths were recorded last year on Oahu.

House Speaker Calvin Say estimates that the costs for all the new projects legislators said they wanted after touring the neighbor islands before the start of today's 60-day session would add $2.6 billion to the state's $9.1 billion two-year operating budget.

Here's a brief look at some of the proposals that will be turned into the estimated 4,000 bills introduced in the House and Senate:

» Gov. Lingle will wait until her Monday State of the State speech to unveil all of her proposals, but she has already signaled an interest in changing laws on energy conservation, emergency preparedness and ways to stop identify theft.

» Yesterday, Bennett and county prosecutors said they wanted the Legislature to make it easier to get wiretaps. The law enforcement coalition also called for mandatory sentencing of 30 years to life in prison for habitual violent felons and prohibiting the importing of a .50-caliber rifle that is capable of shooting down an airplane.

Bennett also repeated his call to stop the counting of blank votes and overvotes as "no" votes in determining whether a proposed constitutional amendment has been ratified.

» Lingle says her budget will call for spending an extra $260 million "in new education funding for public schools and the University of Hawaii, plus $300 million in tax relief, and an additional $926.6 million for new capital improvements, half of which is targeted to upgrade harbors, airports and highways."

» Because of the state's soaring economy and the estimated $575 million surplus, Lingle is asking that the state's rainy day fund be doubled to $110 million.

» Members of the HSTA spent Saturday planning how they would lobby the Legislature for their issues. Teachers want more money by restoring annual increments and keeping current retirement benefits, which the HSTA says would help attract more qualified teachers.

Teachers said they also want to reduce class size to 18 students for every teacher and increase funding to meet the No Child Left Behind mandates.

And as the teachers see many of their school budgets being cut to balance appropriations between schools, the HSTA is asking that current allocations be "held harmless for implementation" of portions of the Legislature's Act 51 reforms to reinvent education.

And individual legislators are writing up their own wish lists. Rep. Dennis Arakaki (D, Alewa Heights-Kalihi), who has campaigned for some form of universal health coverage, said he wants more than the limited coverage recommended by a interim health task force.

"They hope to start health coverage for children, but I will be introducing a full health coverage package," Arakaki said.

Sen. Willie Espero (D, Ewa-Kapolei-Ewa Beach) says he is mulling over introducing a bill to allow police to use automated cameras to take pictures of drivers running red lights.

In 2002, then-Gov. Ben Cayetano ended a controversial traffic enforcement program to catch speeders using video cameras. The action came after the Legislature said it intended to repeal the program.