CIRA de CASTILLOTGI Staff Writer KAPA’A— It will take a historic measure on the part of the State House to save the county lifeguard bill from drowning this session. “This is such an important issue we will have to do
CIRA de CASTILLOTGI Staff Writer
KAPA’A— It will take a historic measure on the part of the State House to save
the county lifeguard bill from drowning this session.
“This is such an
important issue we will have to do that,” said Rep. Ezra Kanaho, referring to
offering a late session floor amendment to the bill.
Kaua’i legislators
took a break from the legislative duties on O’ahu Saturday and came home to
update the public on the 2000 Legislative session.
Kanaho said only once
before has a bill been amended on the House floor. The idea to amend the bill
(SB2001) to give immunity rather than indemnity to the counties came late in
the session and missed critical amendment deadlines.
The bill is now set
to go to the Governor and it is presumed he will veto it because of the state
Attorney General’s opposition to approving it with indemnification.
“First
we will have to confirm that the Governor would veto the current form,” said
Kanaho, “If that is true we will have to do whatever we can to try and get the
amendment through.”
Kanoho was joined by Rep. Mina Morita, and Sens.
Jonathan Chun and Avery Chumbley at the Kapa’a Library where they presented
overviews of the Legislative session and answered written questions offered by
about 30 people in attendance.
The Kapa’a session followed a morning
meeting at the Lihu’e Library.
Morita said she has been concentrating her
efforts on energy bills that will create economic incentives related to the
development of renewable energy in the state. The Renewables Standards
Portfolio (HB1883) that requires utility companies to include a certain amount
of renewable energy to produce electricity has passed the critical committees
and is moving forward.
The bill, supported by the County Council and
Administration, was amended by Sen. Jonathan Chun to exclude Kaua’i from the
standards.
Sen. Chun said that only one bill (SB2859) related to civil
service reform is still alive. The measure would allow the state and the
counties to bargain separately with public government workers unions .
“You deal, you pay” he said because each jurisdiction would be responsible for
their own contract with the union.
Also, said Chun, the county will see an
increase in the amount they can charge drivers to register their cars and that
the fees can be used to dispose of junk cars.
Sen. Chumbley said that
school violence, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, and domestic
violence are some of the most important bills he has been dealing with this
session.
He said legislation that will allow the Dept. of Education to be
informed of certain juvenile offenders while protecting the privacy of the
juvenile, narrowing the laws related to school trespassing, and including in
the zero tolerance policy students who come to school under the influence are
part of a package meant to reduce school violence.
Anyone who takes drugs
and drives will now be subject to the same laws that govern drunk drivers and
can expect to see laws that will further penalize DUI drivers pass this
session, Chumbley said.
On domestic violence, the current laws are going
to be classified and expanded to include Class C felony convictions for
repeated offenders or acts that results serious bodily injury.
Chumbley
said construction on the Kaua’i courthouse, a $32 million project, will begin
in January next year and that the John Howard Foundation youth facility on
Kaua’i will be closed by the Department of Health.
