Lost amid the higher-profile bills Gov. Ben Cayetano vetoed last week were two others he also vetoed which had been pushed by Kaua’i legislators. Cayetano canceled House Bill 480, which would have authorized the state Department of Education to hire
Lost amid the higher-profile bills Gov. Ben Cayetano vetoed last week were two others he also vetoed which had been pushed by Kaua’i legislators.
Cayetano canceled House Bill 480, which would have authorized the state Department of Education to hire one business specialist for each of the school districts of Kaua’i, Maui and the Big Island.
The bill, backed by state Rep. Bertha Kawakami (D-14th District), would have appropriated $150,000 for the three positions in the 2001-02 school year, and a similar amount for the 2002-03 school year.
Kawakami, a longtime educator and former Kaua’i district assistant superintendent, said she heard from principals on Kaua’i that since outer-island districts’ business specialist positions were eliminated, principals have been called on to do more of their schools’ financial paperwork, taking them away from other important duties.
They requested her help to remedy that condition, Kawakami said.
Cayetano, in vetoing the legislation, said the DOE “already has the means to provide additional business services to the targeted school districts.”
The Legislature, in its general appropriations bill, provided funds for 42 temporary business support assistants who would provide the same services as business specialists, and could be assigned to any school district, Cayetano said.
Another casualty of Cayetano’s veto pen was Senate Bill 1473, which would have established a statewide strategic planning initiative known in other states as “Smart Growth.”
Supported by state Sen. Jonathan Chun (D-7th District), the legislation would have promoted growth and development strategies to reduce the public costs of growth and preserve the character, livability and economic productivity of established communities and rural areas.
SB 1473, Chun said, would have required better cooperation between state and county agencies. He said he remains encouraged, though, that Cayetano may effect the bill’s desired outcome through an executive order.
“It was a very innocuous bill which sets up a task force to implement the Smart Growth principles within the state of Hawai’i,” Chun said, noting that other states have used the program “to look at how to control growth within their particular state.”
“One of the principles of Smart Growth is greater coordination between the local government units and the state. And that’s what we want to try to do,” Chun said.
State projects, for example, aren’t always aligned with county long-range planning initiatives, like the recently updated Kaua’i General Plan, he observed.
“We wanted to start implementing, or at least going through the process of how to implement, those principles within the state of Hawai’i,” said Chun. “The governor vetoed the bill, unfortunately. But that doesn’t stop us from still implementing that, or trying to incorporate those principles with the state.”
Cayetano said he vetoed the Smart Growth bill “because existing laws already allow the Office of Planning to develop growth objectives and strategies and advise the governor and Legislature on planning matters. Furthermore, there is no need to statutorily establish a temporary advisory council with no appropriation of funds to operate.”
The legislation contained dollar signs but no dollar amounts for the costs of a special advisor and statewide advisory council for implementation of the Smart Growth initiatives.
Staff Writer Paul C. Curtis can be reached at mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 224).
