Foregoing its usual festive atmosphere on the third Wednesday in January when the state Legislature officially convenes, the difficult work ahead of balancing the state’s budget is top of the agenda, according to a news release from Rep. Mina Morita’s
Foregoing its usual festive atmosphere on the third Wednesday in January when the state Legislature officially convenes, the difficult work ahead of balancing the state’s budget is top of the agenda, according to a news release from Rep. Mina Morita’s office.
There appear to be positive signs nationwide that the economy is stabilizing and Hawai‘i will not be far behind, the release says. However, unless the state’s falling revenues immediately reverses themselves, the primary objective of this legislative session will be to address budget shortfalls and advance legislation to help stimulate the economy.
To help keep Kaua‘i residents abreast of the kinds of issues, Morita has started a blog at repmorita.wordpress.com.
Here’s a brief glimpse at some previous posts:
— Advancing Hawai‘i’s Clean Energy Future. “Over the past twelve years my challenge has been to pick-up the political leadership where many like Governor Ariyoshi left off and it is not an easy task when oil prices averaged $25 to $40 a barrel with occasional spikes. And now with a better understanding of peak oil, climate change, energy security issues and experiencing oil prices hitting more than $140 per barrel one would think an energy system transformation would be easy. Not so.”
— Pay Now Or Lose Control Over Our Future. “Expectedly, the focus of the Kaua‘i Energy Sustainability Plan is the recommendation for a fifty cent increase in the county fuel tax. I have been advocating for carbon taxes on a state level as a way to fund the transition to a clean energy economy. It is going to cost money and we are going to have to pay for it somehow.”
— Upholding the Constitution. “Some people forget that elected officials not only get to make policy but in doing so we actually have to uphold the federal and state constitutions. And, sometimes it means not succumbing to the tyranny of a “perceived” majority. At the State Capitol today, two events touch on issues that circle back to fundamental rights and protections in our Hawai‘i State Constitution.”
• Get regular updates by subscribing to the RSS Feed at repmorita.wordpress.com/feed.
