Floor Action: Session Days 41 and 42

April 2, 2013: Floor Action – Session Day #42

The State Senate recognized the Waianae High School Searider Productions Digital Program / Apple Distinguished Program Award Recipient. The Searider program has been producing video with Apple equipment for years. It is a worthy award for this distinguished program.

Three governor nominees were advised and consented by the full senate.

Five resolutions were approved by the Senate. Senator Slom voted against two resolutions: SCR 189 and SR 144 which requests the Dept. of Transportation to adopt rules to encourage taxis to use high efficiency vehicles, including hybird electric vehicles , at Honolulu International Airport.

Three house bills were also passed on Third Reading. Senator Slom voted “No” on HB 868 “Relating to eliminating the asset limit eligibility requirement for the temporary assistance for needy families program.”

COMMITTEE REPORT: The Senate Higher Education Committee  approved 5 nominees to the University of Hawaii Board of Regents. Senator Slom voted in favor of all 5 but not before the Higher Education Committee grilled some of the nominees on transparency issues, funding of legal services, and the hiring of outside attorneys. The residency of the University of Hawaii President, MRC Greenwood also came into question. The Office of Information Practices issued a memorandum opinion regarding the UH Fact Finders’ Report.

All 5 Board of Regent nominees will be subject to full Senate confirmation soon.

Photo from the Hawaii Senate Majority Flickr stream.

Link: University of Hawaii Board of Regents

April 1, 2013: Floor Action – Session Day #41

The Senate presented certificates to the Challenger Center of Hawaii in honor of its 20 th Anniversary and the William M. Keck Observatory, also commemorating its 20th Anniversary.

The Senate also confirmed 5 nominees on various boards and commissions relating to agriculture  (GMs 597, 503, 504, 505 and 506) and one person confirmed to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation. (GM 522)

Four resolutions were also adopted:

SCR 97 / SR 63 – DOE Systemwide review

SCR 108 / SR 74 – “Qualified Aliens” resident citizens of the Freely Associated States.

Senate Recognizes SBA Awardees

From the Hawaii Kai NHB Report #1 3-25-2013

Small Business owner entrepreneurs were at the State Capitol on March 14 to receive honors from the Legislature in recognition for being named as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s “Small Business Persons of the Year” in various categories.

Several of the honorees were present (holding framed certificates) for both the Senate and House ceremonies.

The Hawaii Small Business Persons of the Year are David Yogi and Dr. James Kwong of Yogi Kwong Engineers, LLC, an innovative geotechnical engineering firm that provides state of the art technology design and construction management.

A complete list of the honorees can be found at the following URL online: http://bit.ly/101uwro.

Floor Action – Day 21

Session Day 21, Senate Floor Session: The following bills passed in the Senate on Third Reading votes 25 to 0 with Sam voting with the majority:

SB 1000 – Access Hawaii Committee
SB 870 – Use of Force by Persons with Special Responsibility for the Care and Safety of Others
SB 890 – Temporary Member on the Hawaii Labor Relations Board
SB 1016 – Registration of Covered Offenders
SB 707 – Repeal PLDC (news-link)

Senator Slom may be introducing a floor amendment to SB 880 which will strengthen the current draft of the bill to incorporate a stiffer sentence for sexual assault of a minor. SB 880 was deferred on the Senate floor for this purpose.

QUICK TAKES

Senator Slom met with U.H. Executive VP for Academic Affairs/Provost Linda Johnsrud. (right) Senator Slom likes to get young staff members involved with the discussion on which the opportunity was taken to discuss issues about the university from a student’s perspective. Senator Slom’s younger staff members including Matt Rapoza and Noelani Bonafacio both attended and graduated from the University of Hawaii. Kaitlyn Baria (back to camera in blue) is a current University of Hawaii student interning full time with Senator Slom at the capitol this semester. The young lady in orange Elise Anderson who was visiting from Senator Espero’s office.

SB 775 which designates the Hawaiian Hoary Bat as the State Land Mammal will be heard in TEC on Thursday Feb. 21 starting at 1:15pm.  

Senator Slom has been getting a number of phone calls and plenty of email opposing SB 69 popularly known as “the gun buy-back bill”. Gun owners and supporters of the Second Amendment are in opposition to the bill. SB 69 will be heard again in the Senate Ways & Means Committee tomorrow Feb. 20 starting at 9:45 am. Senator Slom will be voting “no” on this measure as he did from the bill’s inception.

Bills Loom Large as Major Deadlines Approach

By State Senator Sam Slom from the Kuliouou NHB #2 Report

The $11.7 billion State Budget (HB 200) looms large on the horizon this year as the 2013 Legislature heads closer to the first major deadlines — first lateral on February 15 and First Crossover on March 7. Several bills have already passed out of their initial committees and now await approval from the “A bracket” committees (Ways & Means, Juidicary & Labor, Commerce & Consumer Protection) by the first crossover date.

The Senate passed its first bill to the House, SB 94 which adds an executive director to the Hawaii Public Housing Authority on February 1. Subsequently, 3 more bills passed third reading (SB 54 on aging; SB 44 on mental health; and SB 995 on irrigation water development) votes this week and are now in the House.

HB 26* which crossed over from the House was voted in the Senate Ways & Means committee yesterday. This is the $28.5 million in general funds bill that pays for the operations of the State Legislature that includes the House, Senate and related agencies. The bill is slated for a Senate floor vote on Feb. 8.

On other issues.

University of Hawaii: Problems continue to dog the University of Hawaii system which were addressed through a series of informational briefings focused on salaries and tuition increases. I stated at the tuition briefing that the state’s only public institution of higher learning is pricing students out of school. My office has received several emails and phone calls from U.H. students confirming this fact. Bills addressing issues surrounding the university are being heard in the Senate Higher Education and Ways & Means Committees.

PLDC: The Senate Chair of the Water & Land Committee pulled SB1, a bill that would repeal chapter 171c in the HRS relating to the Public Land Development Corporation. The action has angered the public and several senators. I support the repeal of the PLDC and have introduced two bills this session to deal with that: SB 780 and SB 781.

Taxes: A number of tax bills will be decided in the Senate Ways & Means Committee on Feb. 12. They include SB 350 which amends the filing of GE Tax Returns; SB 653 tax rates on tobacco products including “premium cigars”; SB 948 “streamlined” taxation on internet purchases; SB 1187 - delinquent taxes; and SB 1190 imposition of “use tax” on imported contracting. Several other tax bills are advancing through other committees and in the House including those that will add new taxes to sugary beverages (SB 1085), a 10¢ per plastic bag fee (tax), increases to the conveyance, general excise, tobacco and transient accommodations tax. I oppose all new taxes and increases.

* – HB26 passed third reading in the Senate on 2-8-2013 and now goes to the Governor for his approval.

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QUICK TAKES

Legislative aide Noelani Bonafacio comments on the soda tax bill during a taping of Capitol Commentary at Senator Slom’s office.

Senator Slom heard testimony on SB 1135 which the State Board of Health wants to pass that expands the Electronic Device and Television Recycling program. If passed into law, the new regulations will impact the sales of not only consumer electronics but also to household appliances. There is a high fee (tax) structure connected to this that Senator Slom will oppose.

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Lonely And Frustrated: The Worst Jobs In Politics

Senator Sam Slom was featured on National Public Radio (npr.org), February 5 in an article written by commentator Alan Greenblat. The article titled “Lonely And Frustrated: These May Be The Worst Jobs In Politics” focused on those legislators and politicians across the country whose jobs “appear from the outside to be so hopeless that you wonder why anyone agreed to take them on.” Senator Slom being the lone Republican in the 25-member Hawaii State Senate was one of the subjects of the article which covered minority representation in the states of Wyoming, Rhode Island, Oklahoma and Hawaii.