Senator Slom – Special Funds Examination & The Lone Ranger

Senator Sam Slom has been quoted in two recent articles today, one dealing with his status of being the only Republican Senator in the 25-member Hawaii State Senate, and the other dealing with an examination of State Special Funds.

In the Lone Ranger article where Bloomberg’s Greg Giroux writes in his article “State Super Minorities Lead to ‘Lone Ranger’ Movie Trip“,  Senator Slom is quoted:

“I got a lot of condolence calls and sympathy cards that said, ’Oh no, you poor thing, you’re going to be all alone, and I’m saying to myself, ’Yippee!’”

The article points to Senator Slom’s opposition to “bad legislation” , the time he is allowed to speak on the Senate floor and how some of his bills are co-opted by the majority party.

Senator Slom is the first State Legislator to be in a “Super Minority” of one anywhere in the U.S. since 1990 in the State of West Virginia according to an NCSL source referred to in the Blomberg article.

On another note, the Associated Press ran a story on the Hawaii State House of Representatives intention to look into the many special funds created for various state departments and agencies before the start of the 2014 session. State Rep. Sylvia Luke, chair of the House Finance committee stated that the more than $5.7 billion in special funds authorized for the 2014-15 biennium “need more attention and oversight.”

Senator Slom has voted against the creation of new special funds since first taking office in 1997. He stated, “he’s glad to hear the House is formally investigating the accounts, following a trend of increasing scrutiny in the last few years in both chambers. It is a poor budgeting method. It hides a lot of money from taxpayers.”

Read the AP Article: Hawaii lawmakers to examine $5.7B special funds

Photo: Senator Slom is “The Lone Ranger” and only Republican in the Hawaii State Senate who has since 1997 voted against all new special funds.

New Seatbelt Law Requires Back Seat Passengers to Buckle-Up

Rear seat passengers in motor vehicles are required to use seat belts.

By State Senator Sam Slom
As published in the Hawaii Kai NHB #1 Report
May 28, 2013.

Governor Neil Abercrombie has signed 86 bills into law so far. A total of 293 bills passed the legislature this session – 170 from the Senate and 123 from the House. The Governor has a deadline of July 9 in which to take action on all legislation passed after the end of the session (45 working days). For bills he intends to veto, the Governor must notify the legislature in writing of that intention by June 24.

So far among the bills passed into law:

Act 73 (SB4): This law requires all front and back seat passengers to be “restrained by a seat belt assembly or child passenger restraint”  while the motor vehicle is being operated. The new law took effect upon the Governor’s signature. I voted against this bill because of several issues that came up regarding back seat passengers in taxi cabs. The taxi industry is in a bit of a turmoil regarding the law as to whether or not their passenger or the drivers get a ticket for non-compliance and whether or not the child restraint portion applies to them.

Act 74 (HB 980): This law sets a state-wide ban on the use of mobile electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle. The new law takes effect on July 1, 2013. The City & County of Honolulu already has a law banning the use of mobile electronic devices while driving.

Act 72 (SB 563): This law amends the form and function of the Candidate Advisory Council for the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii. Among the requirements that the council must fulfill include developing and implementing a fair and independent procedure for evaluating candidates to serve on the Board of Regents; Require candidates and members of their immediate families to disclose any existing or anticipated contracts or financial transactions with the University of Hawaii; actively solicit and accept applications from potential candidates; evaluation of candidates; and present a list of at least 3 candidates to the Governor for the nomination and appointment to each vacant seat on the board. The bill was unanimously approved by both houses of the legislature during final reading votes on April 30.

The University of Hawaii has been under much scrutiny in recent months that started with the investigation into the much publicized “Stevie Wonder Blunder” that eventually lead to the resignation of U.H. President M.R.C. Greenwood.

Act 85 (SB 1171): This controversial bill is now law. The new statute will authorize “phased reviews” of certain projects by the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources State Historic Preservation Division “to ensure consistency between state and federal law”. In other words this law will allowed phased reviews to such project as rail and other large scale developments where issues such as old burials come into play.

I opposed this bill while it was in the Senate along with 8 other senators on final voting day.

The Governor also signed into law 6 bills (Acts 79 to 84) that appropriates funds for unionized government employee pay raises.

Updates to bills and acts are online @ capitol.hawaii.gov.

End of Session Commentary: A Better Day With Senator Slom

Senator Slom talks about the end of the 2013 Legislative Session.

Recognizing TBN on their 40th Anniversary

Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) is observing their 40th Anniversary this year. The local affiliate channel KAAH TV 26 was presented with this Senate Certificate in recognition of that accomplishment by Senator Sam Slom on May 7. Accepting on behalf of TBN in Hawaii is station general manager Cheryl Witbeck (shown above). TBN operates more than 18,000 TV and cable affiliates worldwide providing 24 hours of Christian broadcasting.