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Senators gather for veto override session

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010

Senators meet in caucus, ready to convene for overrides

Eighteen State Senators gathered in caucus this morning in preparation for a special session to override Governor Lingle’s anticipated vetoes, with additional Senators expected to arrive before votes were cast. However, with the State House of Representatives’ decision not to convene, the Senators’ meeting was a sign of their commitment. In addition, as of 11:55 this morning, the Senate had received no veto messages today from Governor Lingle.

“We thought it was important that we demonstrate our willingness to consider overrides,” said Senate President Colleen Hanabusa. “While we cannot convene without the House, we were ready to convene if the opportunity arose.”

Even without the governor’s vetoes in hand, the constitution requires that the Senate and House to convene at or before 12:00 noon and recess while awaiting those messages.

A veto override would have required a vote by 17 Senators.

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House will not convene a special session

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Senate President Colleen Hanabusa today sent out a memo notifying members that the House will not be convening in a special session for the purpose of overriding Governor Lingle’s vetoes. The House blog posted the following reasons as to why Speaker Calvin Say, in concurrence with House Leadership, decided the bills on the governor’s veto list did not warrant an override:

• The bill does not appear to have the requisite two-thirds vote in both chambers necessary to override a veto;

• The bill does not rise to a sufficient level of statewide concern to warrant the extraordinary action of a legislative override;

• The Governor’s preliminary objections to the bill have sufficient merit deserving of further evaluation;

• Although the bill was intended to enhance state revenue to balance the budget when passed during the session, it is now no longer necessary because of the Council on Revenue’s improved revenue projection.

“It’s my personal belief that simply because we have the legislative super-majority to override is not justification for us to do so. Partisan politics should not be a consideration or basis for any policy decision. The House should be proud of the work accomplished during the regular session – including balancing the state’s budget without increasing the general excise tax, without increasing income taxes on low- and moderate-income families, and without scooping the counties’ hotel tax share,” said Speaker Calvin Say.

On June 21, 2010 the Governor released to the Legislature her list of 39 bills that were intended for veto. The list included bills on public safety, civil union, homelessness, education and more.

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Expanding the ladder of opportunity

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

Senator Esperoby Senator Will Espero
District 19

Democrats believe in extending the ladder of opportunity because the overall well-being of society improves as more citizens are able to reach their goals.  As we and our neighbors achieve our own “American dream,” our well-being spills over into the community.  That is why Democrats have traditionally invested in education, in job training, in strengthening families, and home ownership.  Becoming better educated, acquiring valuable workplace skills, being able to buy a home of our own and shape our family lives in a positive way, all contribute to the stability and productivity of society.

Under the Bush Administration, federal financial aid was cut by $12.5 billion, drastically reducing the amount of student aid available for our high school graduates to attend college.  Funding restrictions put the maximum Pell Grant at $4,050 for 2003-2004, up to $4,731 for 2008-2009.  With rising tuition and other higher education costs, these Bush Administration reductions strained the ability of students to obtain the training they needed for the career goals they had.

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Joint Labor committees held info briefing on fatal tower collapse

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

DLIR/HIOSHDLIR Director Darwin Ching and HIOSH face the panel of legislators during yesterday’s info briefing.

Senate Committee on Labor and House Committee on Labor & Public Employment yesterday held a joint informational briefing to explore questions that have arisen over the Hawaii Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR) and Hawaii Occupational Safety & Health Division’s (HIOSH) investigation into the death of a worker in the collapse of a Hawaiian Cement tower at Campbell Industrial Park in May, 2009.

HIOSH issued $750 fines each to AG Transport, a contractor hired to demolish the tower, and the general contractor Sans Construction of Hawaii, for violating safety rules.

In a letter to DLIR director Darwin Ching dated May 11, Senate Labor chair Dwight Takamine and House Labor & Public Employment chair Karl Rhoads said, “Such fines appear rather small, considering that statutorily you have the authority to fine up to $7,000. Moreover, we are concerned that these small fines will fail to act as a deterrent to others that endanger worker safety.”

“We want some clarity on how the DLIR and its director determined the fine,” said Sen. Takamine. “The companies failed to provide a required, written engineering survey of the tower that they were supposed to have before starting work. The result was a fatal accident. How does this warrant a $750 fine?”

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English attends APIL General Assembly to discuss climate change in the Pacific Islands

Friday, June 4th, 2010

Senator EnglishSenator J. Kalani English has traveled to Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati, for the 29th General Assembly of the Association of Pacific Island Legislatures (APIL), which focuses on “Climate Change: Understanding the Challenges for our Pacific Islands.” The Assembly is scheduled to run from June 2 through June 7.

“The Republic of Kiribati is a particularly meaningful place for us to gather and discuss climate change,” English said. “It is made up of hundreds of low-lying atolls which are at the forefront of high sea rise and the potentially devastating effects of climate change. Most of the island countries, states and territories of the Pacific are the least to contribute to climate change, but are the most vulnerable to its effects.”

“Kiribati is our ‘canary in the coal mine’ when it comes to changes in sea levels,” English continued. “We may see the effects there first, but we will also eventually see them in Hawaii as well.”

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Innovation to create student investment in their education

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Senator Esperoby Senator Will Espero
District 19

This has been an awesome year for the James Campbell High School (JCHS) Sabers.  Tyson Tynanes-Perez successfully defended his state wrestling title.  Chabrielle Gushi took the OIA Girls wrestling title.  The boys wrestling team placed first in the OIA.  Rudy Cabalar, Jr. is the new state golf champion.  The robotics team scored first place titles at the Maui Invitational, Hawaii Region FIRST, West Oahu, Leeward Coast, and Northridge tournaments, as well as three Judges’ Awards for best robot, and other awards.  The media team got top honors in Brown Bags to Stardom and E Ola Pono competitions, and other honors in many of its other contests.  The Naval Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps has received the distinguished unit title for eleven consecutive years.  Three students won Pacific Asian Affairs Council travel scholarships to Vietnam.

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Legislators to host Big Island community meetings

Thursday, May 20th, 2010

Senator Dwight Takamine and Representative Mark Nakashima will host post session community meetings to provide residents a summary of the work accomplished during this legislative session. Residents will also have an opportunity to share their concerns as well as provide input to the legislators.

“We would like to report on the results of the collective efforts of the community and legislators from this legislative session,” said Senator Takamine, who continued “It is always important to have citizen participation, but in light of the current fiscal situation the dialogue between policy makers and the public is of critical importance and we are hoping that many people will participate.” The legislators will also be sharing updates on education, budget and projects in the district.

DATES & LOCATIONS:

May 24 Mon. 5:00 p.m.
North Kohala
Kohala Senior Citizens Center

May 27 Thu. 7:00 p.m.
Rural South Hilo
Kalanianaole School Cafeteria

June 1 Tues. 6:30 p.m.
Waimea
Waimea School Cafeteria

More information is available at Senators Takamine’s legislative website.

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Teacher in space – 25th anniversary

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Senator Esperoby Senator Will Espero
District 19

The Teacher in Space Program was announced in 1984, with Christa McAuliffe selected in 1985. Art Kimura, who directs the Future Flight program, and Joe Ciotti of Windward Community College were Hawaii’s two candidates. Here are interviews with both:

ART KIMURA

What got you interested in space long, long ago?

As a child, I loved the old Buck Rogers movies and have been a science fiction fan for many years including the more recent Star Trek and Star Wars programs. I have grainy black and white photos of my black and white TV screen during the 1st moon landing of Apollo 11, while serving on active duty in the United States Air Force at Gunter Air Force Base, Alabama, and like many others throughout the world, I was awed by the idea that humans could step foot on another world.

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Inspire and explore

Friday, May 14th, 2010

Senator Esperoby Senator Will Espero
District 19

Inspire 

NASA has initiated an outstanding STEM education program for high schools called INSPIRE (Interdisciplinary National Science Program Incorporating Research Experience).  The goal is to provide 9th- through 12th-grade students with both online and hands-on opportunities to explore education and career paths in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, with specific programs tailored to each grade level.

Applications for this program are currently being accepted through June 30, 2010, and NASA will announce its selections in September.

Students admitted to the INSPIRE program will participate in an “online learning community” facilitating interaction with peers and NASA engineers/scientists in diverse educational activities, discussion boards and chat rooms. In addition, INSPIRE students will be able to apply for residential experiences at NASA facilities and participating universities nationwide (during the summer of 2011) that will afford unique introductions to multiple career options in aerospace.

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Legislators to host session wrap up at senior center meetings

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Senator Takamine

Senator Dwight Takamine and Representative Mark Nakashima will host post-session meetings to provide seniors a summary of the work accomplished during this legislative session. These meetings will provide seniors an opportunity to share their concerns and receive updates on projects affecting seniors in the district.

           

         DATES:                                              LOCATIONS:

May 14, 2010  Fri. 9:00 a.m.              Laupahoehoe Seniors

May 19, 2010  Wed. 9:00 a.m.           Honoka’a Seniors

May 25, 2010  Tues 10:00 a.m.          Hakalau Seniors

June 8, 2010  Tues 9:30 a.m.             Waimea Seniors

For more information, contact Senator Takamine’s office at (808) 586-7335.

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