The state would move its primary election to August—this year's elections would not be affected—while other proposals still alive at the Legislature would mandate a minimum number of school days and restrict leaf blowers to daylight hours.

Lawmakers worked late into the evening yesterday putting the finishing touches on all legislation as they prepare to wrap up the 2010 regular session next week.

Moving the primary election is being done to satisfy a recently enacted federal law requiring states to distribute absentee ballots to overseas and military voters at least 45 days before the 2010 general election. The law is intended to give those voters more time to complete and return the ballots.

Hawaii's Sept. 18 primary is exactly 45 days before the Nov. 2 general election, which does not allow enough time to certify the primary results and send out general election ballots.

Senate Bill 2397 would move the primary to the second Saturday in August, but the change would not take effect until after this year.

  Heated election creates questionable ads

 

The heated special election for congress has created questionable ads.

 

[ Watch ]

 

 

 

 

In the meantime, the state Office of Elections is awaiting a waiver from the Defense Department's Federal Voting Assistance Program to hold the election in September. If the waiver is not granted, officials say the state will likely agree to a judicial order to extend the current deadline for general election absentee ballots for several days beyond Nov. 2.

Moving up the primary also would speed up the candidate filing deadline to June 2 from July 20.

The move to mandate a minimum number of instructional days for public school students comes amid the Furlough Friday situation cutting 17 days of class time this year and next. There currently is no minimum.

House Bill 2486 would mandate 180 instructional days starting next year for public schools, including charter schools, said Senate Education Chairman Norman Sakamoto (D, Salt Lake-Foster Village).

By 2013 the goal is to have a minimum of 180 instructional days and 1,080 instructional hours for students each year. The minimum would increase to 190 by 2015.

These standards do not include teacher planning days—when students are not in class—which would have to be negotiated through collective bargaining.

“;The goal is to have more instructional hours than we currently have,”; Sakamoto said.

Senate Bill 466, setting restrictions on leaf blowers, aims to tackle a “;quality of life issue,”; said its main sponsor, state Sen. Mike Gabbard (D, Kalaeloa-Makakilo).

The bill limits the use of leaf blowers—electrical or gas-powered—in or near residential zones to the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., except on Sundays and state holidays, when use is allowed between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Violators face fines of $50 for the first offense, $100 for a second, $200 for a third and $500 for subsequent offenses.

Gabbard originally sought to ban gas-powered leaf blowers and set noise limits of 70 decibels.

“;I fought really hard to get that ban on the gas-powered leaf blowers because these things are loud, pollute the air and drive people crazy,”; he said.

The bill authorizes counties to adopt rules or ordinances that are more restrictive and also prohibits operators from blowing debris onto adjacent property without permission.