The following hearing notices, which are subject to change, were sorted and taken from the Hawaii State Capitol Web site. Please check that site for updates and/or changes to the schedule at

“Hawaii State Legislature Sidebar”

Go there and click on the Hearing Date to view the Hearing Notice.

Hearings notices for both House and Senate measures in all committees:

Hearing

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB85 RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB91 SD1 RELATING TO HIGHWAYS. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB315 SD1 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVER LICENSING. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB463 SD1 RELATING TO KAHO`OLAWE ISLAND RESERVE. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB473 SD1 RELATING TO HALFWAY HOUSES. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB542 SD1 RELATING TO ORGANIC LABELING. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB690 SD1 RELATING TO ELECTIONS. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB843 SD1 RELATING TO CONSERVATION OF AQUATIC LIFE, WILDLIFE, AND LAND PLANTS. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB1051 RELATING TO PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB1418 SD1 RELATING TO PUBLIC LAND LIABILITY. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB1521 RELATING TO THE COUNTIES’ EMINENT DOMAIN POWERS. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB1554 SD1 RELATING TO NATIVE HAWAIIAN HISTORIC SITES. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM SB1636 SD1 RELATING TO PUBLIC AGENCY MEETINGS AND RECORDS. JHW

2/25/03 8:30 AM HB248 RELATING TO SMOKING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY PUBLIC EMPLOYEES. LAB

2/25/03 8:30 AM HB1574 RELATING TO CIVIL SERVICE. LAB

2/25/03 8:30 AM HCR23 SUPPORTING THE HAWAII STATE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN. LAB

2/25/03 8:30 AM HR27 SUPPORTING THE HAWAII STATE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN. LAB

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB93 SD1 RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF “MEDICAL CARE” UNDER WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAW. CPH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB612 RELATING TO INSURANCE. CPH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB683 SD1 RELATING TO DIABETES EDUCATION. CPH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB780 RELATING TO TEMPORARY PARTIAL DISABILITY. CPH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB792 SD1 RELATING TO ADVANCED PRACTICE REGISTERED NURSES. CPH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB949 SD1 RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH AND ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE TREATMENT INSURANCE BENEFITS. CPH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1071 SD1 RELATING TO INDEPENDENT MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS. CPH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1320 RELATING TO MEDICAL SAVINGS ACCOUNTS. CPH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1321 RELATING TO MENTAL HEALTH. CPH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1361 SD1 RELATING TO PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. CPH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1582 RELATING TO CHIROPRACTIC. CPH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1270 RELATING TO ANTITRUST. CPH/JHW

2/25/03 9:00 AM HB1456 RELATING TO THE DEPOSIT BEVERAGE CONTAINER PROGRAM. EEP

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB235 SD2 RELATING TO GOVERNMENT. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB425 SD1 RELATING TO HIGH TECHNOLOGY. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB584 RELATING TO STATE FINANCES. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB634 SD1 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR TWO COUNSELORS TO TREAT WOMEN INCARCERATED FOR DRUG-RELATED OFFENSES ON MAUI. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB637 RELATING TO MISSING CHILDREN. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB783 SD1 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEE’S RETIREMENT SYSTEM FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB799 SD1 RELATING TO VOLUNTARY EMPLOYEES’ BENEFICIARY ASSOCIATION TRUSTS. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB996 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1172 SD1 RELATING TO AIRLINES. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1400 RELATING TO TAX ADMINISTRATION. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1496 RELATING TO AGRICULTURE. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1599 SD1 RELATING TO THE DIAMOND HEAD STATE MONUMENT. WAM

2/25/03 9:00 AM HB1275 RELATING TO THE SHORELINE. WLH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1038 SD1 RELATING TO WATER SUPPLY. WLH

2/25/03 9:00 AM SB1547 RELATING TO MARINE ACTIVITIES. WLH

2/25/03 9:00 AM HB1319 RELATING TO SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREAS. WLH/EEP

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

2/25/03 12:00 PM HB282 HD1 RELATING TO THE AUDITOR. FIN

2/25/03 12:00 PM HB640 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE LOSS MITIGATION GRANT PROGRAM. FIN

2/25/03 12:00 PM HB714 RELATING TO EDUCATION. FIN

2/25/03 12:00 PM HB1175 HD1 RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. FIN

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB155 HD1 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR PINEAPPLE RESEARCH. FIN

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB293 HD1 RELATING TO THE FARMERS’ MARKET. FIN

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB523 HD1 RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL TOURISM. FIN

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB1064 RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. FIN

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB1434 HD1 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. FIN

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB1465 HD1 RELATING TO INTOXICATING LIQUOR. FIN

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB49 HD1 RELATING TO TRAFFIC VIOLATIONS. JUD

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB807 HD1 RELATING TO CHAPTER 291E. JUD

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB835 RELATING TO PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION. JUD

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB993 RELATING TO RECONSTRUCTED VEHICLES. JUD

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB1234 RELATING TO COMMERCIAL DRIVER LICENSING. JUD

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB1235 RELATING TO COMMERCIAL DRIVER LICENSING. JUD

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB1236 RELATING TO COMMERCIAL DRIVER LICENSING. JUD

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB1309 RELATING TO EVIDENCE. JUD

2/25/03 12:30 PM HB1496 HD1 RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLES. JUD

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

2/25/03 1:00 PM HB135 RELATING TO INTERNATIONAL MATCHMAKING ORGANIZATIONS. JUD

2/25/03 1:00 PM HB651 HD1 RELATING TO INFORMED CONSENT. JUD

2/25/03 1:00 PM HB736 RELATING TO PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL LICENSES. JUD

2/25/03 1:00 PM HB976 HD1 RELATING TO CRIME. JUD

2/25/03 1:00 PM HB980 RELATING TO CIVIL SETTLEMENTS. JUD

2/25/03 1:00 PM HB1076 RELATING TO APPELLATE JURISDICTION. JUD

2/25/03 1:00 PM HB1171 HD1 RELATING TO CONCILIATION PANELS. JUD

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

2/25/03 1:15 PM HB377 RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS THAT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 1:15 PM HB378 RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS THAT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 1:15 PM HB379 RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS THAT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 1:15 PM HB380 RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS THAT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 1:15 PM HB381 RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS THAT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 1:15 PM HB382 RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS THAT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 1:15 PM HB383 RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS THAT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 1:15 PM HB384 RELATING TO THE ISSUANCE OF SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS FOR NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS THAT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 1:15 PM HB520 RELATING TO HEALTH CARE FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 1:15 PM HB645 RELATING TO SPECIAL PURPOSE REVENUE BONDS FOR ASSISTING NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATIONS THAT PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. FIN

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB193 RELATING TO LANDOWNERS’ LIABILITY. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB284 RELATING TO ELECTIONS. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB385 HD1 RELATING TO THE PREVENTION OF WORKPLACE VIOLENCE. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB500 RELATING TO FAMILY COURTS. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB519 RELATING TO THE ELDER JUSTICE ACT. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB524 RELATING TO LANDOWNERS’ LIABILITY. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB526 HD1 RELATING TO HOME OCCUPATIONS WITHIN AGRICULTURAL DISTRICTS. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB800 HD1 RELATING TO DEPENDENT ADULTS. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB1004 RELATING TO DISPOSITION OF CONVICTED DEFENDANTS. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB1214 HD1 RELATING TO PUBLIC LAND LIABILITY. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB1219 RELATING TO CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB1220 RELATING TO THE HAWAII PAROLING AUTHORITY. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB1352 RELATING TO ELECTIONS. JUD

2/25/03 1:30 PM HB1447 RELATING TO IDENTITY THEFT. JUD

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

2/25/03 2:00 PM SB815 RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS. ENE

2/25/03 2:00 PM SB1505 RELATING TO INVASIVE SPECIES. ENE

2/25/03 2:00 PM HB295 HD1 RELATING TO THE PUBLIC LAND TRUST. FIN

2/25/03 2:00 PM HB1212 HD1 RELATING TO LAND EXCHANGES. FIN

2/25/03 2:00 PM HB1302 RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS. FIN

2/25/03 2:00 PM HB1303 RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS. FIN

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

2/25/03 2:45 PM SB427 RELATING TO GOVERNMENT RECORDS. SAT/JHW

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB21 HD1 RELATING TO CORPORATE DISCLOSURE. FIN

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB90 RELATING TO LONG-TERM CARE. FIN

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB146 HD1 RELATING TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. FIN

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB291 HD1 RELATING TO THE JOB CREATION INCOME TAX CREDIT. FIN

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB626 RELATING TO INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNT CONTRIBUTION TAX CREDIT. FIN

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB685 HD1 RELATING TO ENTERPRISE ZONE. FIN

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB879 RELATING TO TAXATION. FIN

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB1223 HD1 RELATING TO CONFORMITY OF THE HAWAII INCOME TAX LAW TO THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE. FIN

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB1394 HD1 RELATING TO TAXATION TO STIMULATE THE ECONOMY. FIN

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB1400 RELATING TO HOTEL CONSTRUCTION AND REMODELING TAX CREDIT. FIN

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB1410 RELATING TO TAX CREDITS. FIN

2/25/03 3:00 PM HB1628 RELATING TO EDUCATIONAL LOANS. FIN

”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB91 RELATING TO GOVERNMENT SERVICES. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB179 HD1 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE PURCHASE OF LAND IN NORTH KONA. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB196 RELATING TO A GEOTHERMAL-TO-HYDROGEN TAX CREDIT. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB288 HD1 RELATING TO ENERGY CONSERVATION INITIATIVES. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB297 HD1 RELATING TO DRUGS. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB298 HD1 RELATING TO CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB317 HD2 RELATING TO THE EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB400 RELATING TO THE MANAGEMENT OF FINANCING AGREEMENTS. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB413 HD1 RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF ELECTIONS. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB473 HD1 RELATING TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB550 HD1 RELATING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MEDICAL FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB551 HD1 RELATED TO THE STATE HEALTH PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB682 HD1 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PREVENT CRYSTAL METHAMPHETAMINE USE. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB737 HD2 RELATING TO CLEAN WATER. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB756 HD1 RELATING TO ELECTIONS. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB857 RELATING TO CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB907 HD1 RELATING TO ADULT RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB914 HD1 RELATING TO ADULT RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB925 HD2 RELATING TO ELDER ABUSE. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1003 HD1 RELATING TO CRIME VICTIM COMPENSATION. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1077 MAKING EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE OFFICES OF THE GOVERNOR AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1152 RELATING TO STATE FUNDS. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1153 HD1 RELATING TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS RELAY SERVICES. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1154 RELATING TO UNCLAIMED PROPERTY. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1181 MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR THE HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1194 MAKING AN EMERGENCY APPROPRIATION FOR MEDICAID. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1195 RELATING TO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1224 RELATING TO THE AMENDMENT OR REPEAL OF OBSOLETE TAX LAWS. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1230 RELATING TO TRANSPORTATION. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1253 RELATING TO PROCUREMENT. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1412 HD2 RELATING TO PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1590 HD1 RELATING TO VETERANS’ RIGHTS AND BENEFITS. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1603 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO ESTABLISH AN ADOLESCENT TREATMENT CENTER ON THE ISLAND OF HAWAII. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1604 MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PREVENT CRYSTAL METHAMPHETAMINE USE. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1613 HD1 RELATING TO NORTH KOHALA. FIN

2/25/03 5:30 PM HB1616 HD1 RELATING TO LONG-TERM CARE. FIN

”’To reach legislators, see:”’ “Representatives at a Glance” and “Senators at a Glance”

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (UPI) — For the Democrats, the warning signs are everywhere. The 2002 off-year elections did not turn out to their benefit. The Republicans increased their majority in the U.S. House, maintained their majority of governorships and actually passed the Democrats in the total number of state legislative seats held across the country — if just by a hair.

Not only did the GOP reverse the historic trend of the president’s party losing state legislative seats in every midterm election since 1938 but, for the first time since the direct election of senators was instituted after 1913, the president’s party took control of the Senate in an off-year election.

This is a major setback for a party that came within a few hundred votes of winning the White House in 2000.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, the political activist who first came to national prominence during New York’s racial unrest in the late 1980s, has thrown his hat into the presidential ring. National Democrats are, understandably, troubled by this development.

Former Vice President Al Gore received close to 90 percent of the black vote in the 2000 election. When the election results are examined county-by-county rather than state-by-state, the importance of that vote in states Gore won can be clearly seen.

So overwhelming was his support among blacks that it probably led to Gore’s winning several states including Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and possibly even Pennsylvania, which he carried by almost 200,000 votes.

Sharpton, whose National Action Network practices an in-your-face style of political attack, has gained stature and credibility from a public that once considered him highly suspect.

He first surfaced as a spokesman and adviser to Tawana Brawley, a 15-year-old New York girl who claimed six law enforcement officials had abducted and raped her. Brawley, like Sharpton, is black while the accused officials were all white.

The allegations later proved unfounded, but not before Sharpton had elevated racial tension in the state to such a fevered pitch that New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, a Democrat, was forced to step in.

Sharpton, whose candidacy has been likened by many to the 1984 presidential bid by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, gives every indication that he is serious about his run for the Democratic nomination. In one sense he is a natural candidate for the party. He comes out of what is its most increasingly important and generally most reliable voting block — black Americans.

Donna Brazile, who ran Gore’s 2000 presidential bid and may in fact be the best political strategist and operative the party has, is encouraging that Sharpton’s candidacy be taken seriously. In spite of Sharpton’s checkered past, Brazile is urging fellow Democrats to “debate him” rather than “disown him” if his candidacy is troubled.

Running from well outside the party establishment, Sharpton may evolve into the real leader of blacks within the Democratic Party who feel the establishment takes them for granted and the Republicans have nothing to offer.

Brazile, in her analysis of the coming election, repeatedly points to data from the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a group researching issues of concern to black Americans. A Joint Center survey from last fall found “a noteworthy change in black partisan identification” since the 2000 Bush-Gore contest.

“In 2002 63 percent of African-Americans were self-identified Democrats,” the studies says. This represents a drop of 11 points since 2000 — something most analysts would see as a hemorrhage in almost any other voting bloc.

Sharpton may have something to offer these people, making him a potential political power who, quite obviously, cannot be controlled. This kind of thing has been seen before.

Ross Perot, in his two runs for president from outside the two-party structure, reached out to disaffected populists. Conservative Pat Robertson’s 1988 bid for the GOP nomination, while equally unsuccessful, brought tens of thousands of conservative evangelicals into the GOP. In the final analysis Robertson’s people stayed on the field while, for the most part, Perot’s people went home.

Sharpton’s presidential run could lead to the creation of a powerful but, like Perot’s, temporary voter bloc. It could also be something more permanent, something that will eventually change the Democratic Party at every level into something much closer to what he believes then it may now be.

Enter Carol Moseley-Braun, who parlayed the racial tensions of the mid-80s in Chicago into a single term in Washington. She upset entrenched Sen. Alan Dixon in a Democrat primary on her way to becoming the first black woman elected to the U.S. Senate.

Moseley-Braun is, based on her resume, a more serious candidate than Sharpton. She has actually won elective office.

Based on her single, scandal-tainted Senate term, however, she is not to be taken seriously — unless, that is, the party solons, who cannot agree on who the presidential nominee should be, conclude that Sharpton cannot be permitted to be the only black voice in the race, the voice of black America.

This is a hard backhand to Sharpton and may, in fact, exacerbate exactly the kind of divisions that his entry into the race was meant to stop.

”’The Peter Principles is a regular column on politics, culture and the media by Peter Roff, UPI political analyst and 20-year veteran of the Washington scene.”’

Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.

“Laura Brown Image”

Following a critical January 2003 Hawaii State Audit, “New Century Charter School Allocation Project — FY02-03”, the state Legislature introduced dozens of charter school bills in an attempt to fix Hawaii’s existing flawed law.

Only two bills, SB 1700 and HB 1091, survived the first round of the legislative session.

However, according to an informal analysis by a U.S. Department of Education charter school official, the proposed legislation does not improve the current law, and may open Hawaii to lawsuits and further legal and education woes.

The stated intent of SB 1700 is to create a new charter school funding mechanism, but on a closer look, the bill appears to be a legislative attempt to create a separate charter school district, and as a result, establish another full-blown bureaucracy that include a 9-member board. That board, according to the bills, would act as fiscal agent for all charter schools.

The Senate Education Committee report, SB 1700 Senate Draft 1 SSCR503, makes the following amendments:

*Deletes per pupil amounts in statute;

*Bases charter school request on projected enrollment using average per pupil costs reported in the DOE annual consolidated financial report;

*Includes all categories of funding, basing special ed funding on a per pupil weighted count formula;

*Establishes a 9-member board and Executive Director to consult with the Board;

”Problems with these amendments include:”

*Funding for new charters appears to be narrower than for conversion schools;

*Does the new charter school commission have status as a Local Education Agency? If not, how will the Department of Education, which has ultimate responsibility, hold them accountable?

*The bills place the new State Association of Charter Schools into statute, creating a monopoly and giving preference to one organization that does not represent all charter school interests;

*State Association of Charter Schools would duplicate budgetary responsibilities of the Department of Education;

*The bills repeal current language that states “federal financial support for New Century Charter Schools shall not be less than other public schools;”

*Basing special education funding on a weighted formula would require a careful distinction between state and federal funding, which must be distributed on a straight per capita basis;

*The bills repeal language requiring technical assistance to schools, but how then will the state meet the requirements for technical assistance under No Child Left Behind?

*The legislation allows charter schools to send special education students back to the state, thwarting current IDEA federal law that requires a collaborative effort and IEP team decision to determine placement of a child;

”The state auditor listed 3 main concerns with the existing charter school law that must be addressed by the Legislature:”

*A retroactive provision in Act 262 may require an additional appropriation to the 2001-2002 school year;

*The current law created two methods of allocation — one for new charters and one for conversion charters;

*Involves the state auditor in the allocation process, blurring an executive branch function into the roles and duties of the legislative branch.

Solutions to Hawaii’s charter school problem also include the removal of caps on the number of charter schools allowed, removal of collective bargaining from charter schools, creating multiple authorizers for charter schools, giving authority to the Superintendent, developing measurable goals and allowing for annual public review, legislating equal funding formula for all students, removing Board of Education members from New Century Charter Review Panel and allowing each charter school to become an LEA.

SB 1700 not only does not address these issues, it sets the effective date at 2054 — a typo indeed, but critics of the Legislature and state education system say the date may represent a foreshadowing given the long standing inability of the Legislature to get good law written.

”’Laura Brown is the education reporter for HawaiiReporter.com and can be reached via email at”’ mailto:LauraBrown@hawaii.rr.com

Well, the 2003 session of the state Legislature just completed its first quarter and already it is beginning to shape up as another disaster, a disaster for state finances.

In an attempt to “stimulate” the economy, lawmakers have decided to serve up a bountiful helping of tax measures which literally give away the state treasury. And this year the magic pill comes in the form of more tax credits. Just to give you an idea of the magnitude, here are some of the tax credit measures still under consideration. First of all the construction industry and developers are busy pushing their agenda to extend, if not expand, tax credits for their industry. SB 868 would extend the 4 percent tax credit for residential construction for another two years out to 2005. This tax credit was supposed to have sunset last June 30th but was extended to June 30th of this year. SB 1174 and HB 1400 would also extend the hotel renovation tax credit with the Senate bill pushing the sunset date out two more years and the House bill giving the credit another five years of life. The House bill would also change the credit from a nonrefundable credit to a refundable credit.

Then there is the super duper construction stimulus bill, HB 1394, that would grant a credit equal to 4 percent of the costs of qualified commercial construction for projects costing $10 million and under and a credit equal to 10 percent of the qualified construction costs if the project is over $10 million. Not only that, but all of the project’s costs would be exempt from the general excise tax, the use tax and public service company tax. And if the project has facilities providing accommodations, the rental of those accommodations would not have to pay the 7.25 percent TAT until Jan. 1, 2011. The credit would apply to almost any type of construction other than residential.

Thus, since there would be no 4 percent general excise tax on the project’s costs, the tax credit proposed in this bill would be pure gravy for the developer. It would amount to a subsidy paid for by all other taxpayers in Hawaii.

And if you think those proposals go overboard, just consider all the project specific bills that beg for tax credits. At the top of that list are SB 1291 and HB 1138 sponsored by the state administration and SB 377 and HB 1279 sponsored by lawmakers which resurrect the $75 million in tax credits for building a world class aquarium and mammal training center at the Ko Olina Resort and Marina. Touted on the basis that it will create 11,000 temporary jobs and 2,000 permanent jobs, the bill has become the political punch of the day. Politicians are afraid to oppose it because it supposedly will help train the people on the leeward side of Oahu who are “economically depressed.”

How can one oppose such assistance to the poor and downtrodden? But has anyone asked the people of the Waianae coast if this is the kind of job and job training they want? And where is there any commitment other than a smooth talking medicine man that promises those thousands of jobs? There is no qualification in the bill that requires that the beneficiary of the tax credit has to provide those jobs or that job training. The only thing the taxpayer has to do is to build this world class aquarium and mammal training facility and, oh yes, did someone notice that the credit is granted for qualified costs in the development of facilities for “attractions and educational purposes?” That latter qualification could slip DisneyWorld or SeaWorld under the tent of qualification.

When it is pointed out that this bill would help one specific landowner, the response is that this is not the first time the state has help large landowners and in fact the state helped the redevelopment of Kakaako where Kamehameha Schools and the Ward Estate owned nearly all of that land. What the defenders of that position fail to note is that the state didn’t give away tax credits. The state set up an authority and oversaw the orderly development of those areas, and, yes, provided public funding through an appropriation process that underwent close scrutiny. To compare Kakaako to Ko Olina is like comparing the proverbial apples and oranges.

And if Ko Olina isn’t enough, it has spawned a bunch of “ME TOO!” proposals. One would grant up to $25 million in tax credits for building a law enforcement, emergency medical, and public safety training facility at Kalaeloa (Barber’s Point). Still another proposes up to $50 million in tax credits for the building of a motor sports recreational, education, and public safety training facility also out at Kalaeloa.

So do you think this a good use of your tax dollar? Ka-ching, there it goes in another tax credit!

”’Lowell L. Kalapa is the president of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, a private, non-profit educational organization. For more information, please call 536-4587 or log on to”’ https://www.tfhawaii.org

The second annual Amazing Woman Amazing World Day 2003 event, to be held in cities around the world March 8, will be celebrated in Honolulu at the Sheraton Moana Surfrider.

Women from all walks of life, from business professionals, business owners, students and other young people, will join with millions of others throughout the world in hundreds of events that encourage self-honor, express a shared concern for the well-being of others, and create a foundation for inspired action.

Local Producer for the Honolulu event, Deborah Cole Micek, CEO, Business Results Coach and co-founder of RPM Success Group Inc.

“Dick Rowland Image”

”Shoots (News, Views and Quotes)”

– Going to College Endowments: How Colleges Violate Donor Intent

By Martin Morse

Wooster Foundation Watch, Capital Research Center

Donors should be especially wary when giving to universities. Don’t assume that college administrators will use your donations for the purposes you intend. Capital Research Center Visiting Fellow Martin Wooster offers these tips for making gifts to academia: make your wishes as explicit as possible and consider putting term-limits on your gifts to prevent misuse after you pass away.

Contact: Capital Research Center, 1513 16th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036, 202/483-6900, fax 202/483-6902, email crc@capitalresearch.org, https://www.capitalresearch.org.

– Consumers and Markets Suffer When Lawyers Regulate Insurance

By Peter Bisbecos, Victoria E. Fimea, David F. Snyder and Kenneth A. Stoller

Legal Backgrounder, Washington Legal Foundation

The class action litigation procedures are designed to serve a socially beneficial purpose, in situations where meaningful legal recourse is not otherwise available. Contrary to this principle, certification of plaintiff classes is increasingly being sought with respect to the business practices of insurers. These lawsuits seek to undermine the ability of state insurance commissioners to follow a balanced and effective regulatory regime. As a result, both consumers and markets are harmed, and the solvency of insurers may even be threatened by exorbitant class action verdicts in so-called “bet the company” cases. This paper considers cases in Illinois, New Mexico, Ohio and Washington where litigants have attempted to use the class action procedures to circumvent the authority of insurance commissioners. The authors suggest that regulating insurance is best left to state insurance commissioners, not juries or litigators and conclude that all administrative remedies must be exhausted before actions may be brought.

CONTACT:Washington Legal Foundation, 2209 Massachusetts Ave., NW,Washington, DC 20036, 202/588-0302, fax 202/588-0386, email root@wlf.org, https://www.wlf.org.

– Economic and Political Thought

Biases of the Intellectual Classes

By Steven Yates

Ludwig von Mises Institute

Intellectual honesty means, at the very least, acknowledging the facts that are before one’s eyes: facts about the superiority of a civilization built around the concepts of individual freedom and responsibility, free enterprise, private property rights, and so on, to one built around central planning schemes that have yet to deliver anything except poverty, slavery and misery. When intellectuals teach the children of nonintellectuals to hate their own civilization and regard its achievements as acts of villainy, they only invite waves of understandable anti-intellectual reaction. CONTACT: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 518 West Magnolia Ave., Auburn, AL 36832, 334/321-2100, fax 334.321.2119, mail@mises.org, https://www.mises.org.

Above articles are quoted from The Heritage Foundation, The Insider November/December 2002, www.heritage.org.

”Roots (Food for Thought)”

– The President’s FY2004 Budget in Perspective

It is important to put the current budget proposal into historical context. To do so, it is necessary to translate current spending and revenue proposals into real terms either by adjusting for inflation or by expressing the proposal in terms of the broader economy. Looking merely at the budget in nominal terms that do not account for inflation or economic growth is misleading and inaccurate. The table below contains information about the current budget in the context of the post-World War II era and the past three administrations. Highlights include:

The President’s budget proposes spending $390.4 billion on defense related activities in FY 2004. This amounts to 17.5 percent of all spending and 3.5 percent of GDP. -This level is roughly the same as defense spending was in 1996, which amounted to 17.0 percent of all federal spending and 3.5 percent of GDP.

-Defense spending in 1987, the height of the Reagan build up, was 28.1 percent of all federal spending and 6.1 percent of GDP.

The President’s budget proposes a fiscal year 2004 budget deficit of $307.4 billion, which is 13.8 percent of all spending and 2.8 percent of GDP. -This level is roughly the same as the deficit was in 1994, which amounted to 13.9 percent of all spending and 2.9 percent of GDP.

-Deficit spending in 1983, the highest point during the Reagan administration, was 25.7 percent of all spending and 6.0 percent of GDP.

Comparison of Bush Budget (FY’04) with Past Budget Averages

FY’04 Proposal

Post-WWII Average (FY’46 – FY’02)

Clinton Budgets (FY’94 – FY’01)

G.H.W. Bush Budgets (FY’90 – FY’93)

Reagan Budgets (FY’82 – FY’89) Total Receipts as percent of GDP 17.0% 17.9% 19.4% 17.7% 18.0% Total outlays as percent of GDP 19.7% 19.5% 19.6% 22.0% 22.3% Deficit (-)/Surplus as percent of GDP -2.7% -1.6% -0.1% -4.3% -4.3% Annual growth in total receipts (average % change from previous fiscal year, FY96 $) 2.7% 2.9% 4.9% 0.5% 2.5% Annual growth in total outlays (average % change from previous fiscal year, FY96 $) 2.2% 2.3% 1.5% 1.9% 2.7% Defense spending as a percent of total outlays 17.5% 35.5% 17.1% 21.7% 26.7% Non-defense discretionary spending as a percent of total outlays 19.2% 19.4%* 17.6% 16.6% 17.1% Net interest costs as percent of total outlays 7.9% 10.5%* 13.9% 14.5% 13.2% Other mandatory spending as a percent of total outlays 55.4% 41.6%* 51.4% 46.2% 42.9% Debt held by public at end of fiscal year as percent of GDP 36.9% 44.0% 43.0% 46.3% 36.7% Gross Debt at end of fiscal year as percent of GDP 64.8% 56.2% 63.4% 61.8% 45.4%

* includes only data back to 1962 since the distinction between discretionary and mandatory began only in that year.

Above article is quoted from the Tax Foundation https://www.taxfoundation.org 2/4/2003

”Evergreen (Today’s Quote)”

“To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To express feelings is to risk exposing your true self. To place your ideas, your dreams before the crowd is to risk their loss. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair.

But risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow. But he simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love and live. Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave, he has forfeited freedom. Only a person who risks is free!” — Author Unknown

”’See Web site”’ https://www.grassrootinstitute.org ”’for further information. Join its efforts at “Nurturing the rights and responsibilities of the individual in a civil society. …” or email or call Grassroot of Hawaii Institute President Richard O. Rowland at mailto:grassroot@hawaii.rr.com or (808) 487-4959.”’