• State of the State State of the State Gov. Linda Lingle challenged the Democrat-led Legislature Monday morning during her annual State of the State address. Lingle began by listing what she felt were her administration’s accomplishments during her first
• State of the State
State of the State
Gov. Linda Lingle challenged the Democrat-led Legislature Monday morning during her annual State of the State address.
Lingle began by listing what she felt were her administration’s accomplishments during her first year in office, followed by a long list of what she’d like the Legislature to send to her desk at the end of the current session.
The governor said her top priority is to reform education in Hawai’i.
In this area she provided a few surprises, including drastically cutting back on the cost of bureaucracy in the state Department of Education. She claims that only about 50 percent of the $1.9 billion spent on education each year ends up in the classroom. She wants the that number to rise to 90 percent, meaning a drastic realignment of the administrative structure of the DOE. Her centerpiece in this area is a proposed constitutional amendment that would give each county in Hawai’i its own school board. Such a bill languished in the last session, she said, and didn’t give the voters a say in this issue. The Democrats in recent days have emphasized their support of the current DOE structure.
The issue of education is becoming more and more a political one, with a business-leaning governor versus union-leaning Democratic legislators. “Stop tinkering…and start restructuring,” she said of changes to the DOE.
This was proved in the early days of this current session with the unprecedented release of a statement by Democrats in the House and Senate that stated their stand, and plan for this session, on education and other issues.
The ongoing drug war was another area where Kaua’i would be aided in fighting “Ice” use and sale. Lingle wants to control the chemicals that go into Ice manufacture, as well as drug paraphernalia that’s now being openly sold in Hawai’i and giving law enforcement officials more powers through “walk and talk” powers aimed at controlling drug smuggling at airports.
Other proposals by Lingle that would directly benefit Kaua’i included millions in funding for improvements to state harbors and state parks, some $40 million for a statewide invasive species project that would likely include Koke’e, taking about 19,000 low-income tax payers off tax rolls by raising the standard deduction on state income tax rates and a massive $100 million boost to state housing funding for construction of affordable housing units.
Lingle cited figures that showed Hawai’i will soon have a need for 30,000 units of affordable housing. This issue is a serious one in the other counties of Hawai’i, and a critical one on Kaua’i.
Other issues Lingle touched on with direct Kaua’i applications included making dumping of solid wastes a felony, reforming long term care regulations to allow families more leeway in caring for invalids, allowing public access to the records of sex offenders,
The governor’s full menu of proposed bills also included business support in the form of tax relief and other savings.
Lingle’s challenge to the Legislature shows she is testing the waters of her power following her rookie year in dealing with the lawmaking branch of state government in 2003.
The Democrats need to answer her challenge through accomplishments over the next few months. If they rely on rhetoric and reaction, rather than action, it will cost them dearly at the ballot box in November.
Having a two-party system in place after 40 years is driving change. This year will determine who is in the driver’s seat, and who is in the passenger seat. Either way, change is needed. It’s good for our island, and for the state. We should know the results by late spring at the end of the session.
