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.

• 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.

House and Senate Conferees, meeting into the night on Friday, agreed to changes to Senate Bill 2124 that will provide the funding. In its current form, SB2124:

• * Appropriates $67,000,000 from the Hurricane Relief Fund to restore instructional days;
• * Specifies that the monies appropriated only be used to restore public school instructional days for the 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 school years;
• * Allows for release of the funds upon completion of all negotiations of parties necessary to execute the restoration pursuant to collective bargaining; and
• * Requires that funds that have been appropriated but not expended by the close of the 2010-2011 school year be returned to the Hurricane Relief Fund.

“Time is running out for this session,” said Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, who helped draft the measure. “If we were going to do something, we needed to do it now, and we were not going to let this problem persist without some kind of action.”

“Still, it was important that we preserve the collective bargaining process,” Hanabusa continued. “So we’ve provided the funding, specified its use, and let the parties know that the money is there if they can come to an agreement. It’s up to them now.”

“The importance of this bill is to demonstrate the legislature’s commitment to education and ending teacher furloughs,” said Speaker of the House Calvin Say. “We must get our children back into the classroom as soon as possible, and I urge the parties to come to an agreement.”

The bill now goes to the House and Senate for final reading.

Senators Hanabusa and Taniguchi presented the `Iolani School Orchestra with a certificate of achievement

The Senate and House of Representatives today honored the `Iolani School Select Middle School Orchestra on the floor today during their respective sesssion.

`Iolani School Select Middle School Orchestra recently took top honors at the American String Teacher’s Association’s 2010 National Orchestra Festival in Santa Clara, California. `Iolani was one of six middle school orchestras from around the nation that were chosen to compete in the Middle School Orchestra division.  This was their first application to a national event.

The National Orchestra Festival is an annual event bringing together orchestras from around the nation and providing a performance opportunity in a national setting.  Seventeen orchestras from several states attended this year’s competition.

The ‘Iolani orchestra is under the direction of Orchestra Director Katharine Hafner and Assistant Orchestra Director Joan Wehrman.

“Thank you Governor Lingle. On behalf of Speaker Say, the legislature, and more importantly the people of the state of Hawaii, we thank you for your public service.

My colleagues and I have all commented on the fact that this will be the most difficult legislative session that we will all face, many of us, probably, for our whole legislative careers. This is a time when we must work collaboratively. And for the people of the state of Hawaii, collaboratively doesn’t mean that we will always agree. Debate is good. Discussion is good. And we know, Governor, that we have had many of those over these years.

But what that means for everyone is that we will leave no stone unturned. That is what we must do to meet this challenge. And I know that the legislature, the Governor, and her cabinet, we’re all up to it, because we must be, for you, the people of the state of Hawaii.

I do want to say something that has never been emphasized, and in the honoring of Coach Shoji the Governor didn’t mention it, but I think it is also very important that in Governor Lingle we saw the first woman governor of the state of Hawaii. And as we heard the stories of Coach Shoji’s amazing career, we have spent all these years thinking as a girl, “We’re better than the boys; look at all the things he wins.” And as I look up at the robotics team and see so many young girls, remember, remember in the future, that you saw the first woman governor of the state of Hawaii. And we all owe you, Governor, a debt of gratitude for that. Because that propels girls and women ahead.

So on that note, Governor, again, on behalf of all of us, we thank you. We look forward to working collaboratively with you in this last year.

And now, I declare this joint session adjourned.”

We are pleased to announce the premiere of “The Senate Paperless Initiative,” a video documenting the Senate’s ongoing efforts to reduce paper use and streamline key operations. The Paperless Initiative helped cut the Senate budget by reducing personnel and operating costs.

The premiere will provide a status report reviewing the results achieved through the Initiative and inform the public how the Senate has reduced their legislative budget.

                        WHEN:           Friday, January 29, 2010
                                                10:30 a.m.

                        WHERE:         Auditorium
                                                Hawaii State Capitol

The program will feature an introduction by Senate President Colleen Hanabusa and Senator David Ige, a presentation of the video, and recognition of key individuals involved.

The event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC so please join us! Contact (808) 586-7142 for more information.

The Capitol is quiet today. The crowds and celebrations that typically accompany an opening day of the Hawaii State Legislature are absent. Because while we still welcome with open arms anyone who wants to ask for our help or express their point of view, we know that this session will be different. Now is not the time to celebrate. Now is the time to work.

We face unprecedented challenges in our homes, in our communities, and in this Capitol. For our neighbors, friends and families, for the people who supported us, elected us, and entrusted their future to us, the question is often one of survival. How will they cope with an economic outlook that has continued to worsen, and a recovery that seems to forever sit at the farthest horizon?

For those of us in this chamber, the question is how we will make a difference in this, the most difficult session we are likely to see in our legislative careers.

How will we lay the foundation or our state’s success while confronting the inescapable reality that we must trim expenses and balance our budget again, while continuing to serve those in our community who truly rely on our assistance?

And, perhaps more importantly, how will we in state government regain the confidence of our community? How will we demonstrate that we are up to this task, that we can make a difference, that we will provide the vision and leadership that it will take to provide the promising tomorrow that everyone wants, and everyone should have a right to expect?

If ever there was a moment when we must rise to meet the challenge, now is the time.

Now is the time to work collaboratively, within this chamber, across the rotunda to the House of Representatives, and up to the fifth floor to engage the governor and make a united effort to seek real solutions. Now is the time to put aside differences in party and personal agendas and instead focus on what is truly best for our state and the people we represent.

Now is the time to prove that we have our priorities in order, that we reflect the values that have made Hawaii special, and that we possess the political will and leadership skills to work past the bad facts to good solutions.

Now is the time to stand up and show that we deserve the confidence of Hawaii’s people.

The Capitol is quiet today because we have work to do, and no time to spare. We will find time to celebrate when our job is done. There will come a moment in the future when others will look back at this session, and they will ask if we found it within ourselves to answer the difficult questions, make the hard choices, and do the hard work to accomplish what they trusted us to do.

My fellow senators, my colleagues, my friends, we have it in our power and in our hearts to make the answer to that question a resounding “yes.” Because we know that our time is now.

Thank you.

Many challenges confront our State as we find ourselves in the grip of a severe economic crisis requiring significant sacrifice from families, individuals, and businesses across our community. This year, with so much at stake, and with so much work needing to be done, the House and the Senate have decided to refrain from its customary activities and ceremony in order to get straight down to business from the very start.

There will be no entertainment, no flowers, no festivities or subsequent receptions, as has been the tradition in years past. Speeches will be abbreviated, and instead of being platforms for caucus agendas, will be focused on the joint effort required of us all, working together. Committee Chairs will use the additional time to hold hearings and informational briefings focused on the most pressing issues facing our State: the economy, education, health care, and public safety.

As in the case for our daily floor sessions, seating in the Chamber gallery for the public will be available on a first come, first served basis. However, again, we intend for the 2010 Opening Day floor session to be conducted as strictly business with no ceremony whatsoever.

Further, in years past we have been fortunate recipients of generous gifts of Aloha or well wishes. This year, we ask that in lieu of giving gifts, if you still feel compelled to give anything, please donate funds to your favorite charity, to help mitigate some of the hardship that these economic struggles have caused.

Read the full 2010 Opening Day Memo.

Parents against furlough Fridays Rally at the Hawai‘i State Capitol, October 23, 2009.

Senate President Colleen Hanabusa today announced that a Special Committee of the Hawai‘i State Senate will convene to consider the options available to address the question of teacher furloughs.

“I am proud that my colleagues are stepping up with a battery of ideas to solve the teacher furlough problem,” said Senator Hanabusa, “but every option raises questions. We need to look at not only whether money is available, but how we can ensure that any money we appropriate gets released by the governor and goes to education. We also need to answer some fundamental questions about whether any action we take will interfere with a collectively bargained agreement between the state, the DOE, and the teachers’ union. The right to collective bargaining is guaranteed in our state Constitution, so this is a significant concern.”

Hanabusa added that, “The worst thing we can do is build false hopes. We need to act responsibly. This is a complicated situation and a lot of different parties will have to come together to work out a solution. But this committee will get the ball rolling.”

The Senate Special Committee on Education Funding will be chaired by Senator Brian Taniguchi, and include Senators Will Espero (Vice-chair), David Ige, Dwight Takamine, Jill Tokuda, and Shan Tsutsui, along with Senate Minority Leader Fred Hemmings. “If other Senators would like to sit in on the committee hearings, they may,” Hanabusa said.

Senator Hemmings is looking forward to working with the committee. “I am most pleased as Senate Minority Leader that the Senate President is looking for ways to get kids back to school. I think this is certainly an issue where reasonable people can work together to find reasonable solutions.”

Senator Espero, the committee’s Vice-chair, believes immediate action is required. “The loss of seventeen classroom days is unacceptable and embarrassing,” he said. “We have a responsibility to take action and address the situation for the sake of our children, and I believe we have the means to do so.

The committee’s primary goal will be to review the variety of approaches that have been proposed to end the teacher furloughs. The committee will also consider whether to recommend that the legislature return for a Special Session before the regular session that will convene in January.

“The Senate cannot call a Special Session on its own,” Hanabusa said. “That takes the concurrence of two-thirds of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. But we can make a recommendation, and I believe the committee will do so.”

Hanabusa also pointed out that a successful Special Session would rely on the cooperation of other interests. “We need to keep in mind that given the threat of a veto and potential legal challenges to any interference in a contract that is the product of collective bargaining, a Special Session only makes sense if we can get all parties—the administration, the DOE, and the HSTA—to the table and agree, at least in principle, with what we plan to do. Otherwise, we would be raising false hopes and expending state resources on a futile effort.”

The committee will release its hearing schedule at later this week.

In the photo, from L to R: Mike Matsukawa, Vicki Kalman, Margaret Masunaga, Judge Ronald Ibarra, Senator Colleen Hanabusa, Bob Kim, Carol Kitaoka, and Dawn West.