2008 Legislature

[lavagal]

Let's start a thread to follow the Legislature, as they discuss issues near and dear to our hearts, and to also follow HT personalities who get their photos taken there!
Who knew this guy was so CUTE? The photo was taken by Ian Lind and is at http://www.ilind.net/, one of my daily reads.

Anyway, there is a lot going on, and there will be issues that will never make it out of committee. Let's discuss.

And while there are HT folks infiltrating the halls of the Capital, we should expect to be kept up to speed on legislative issues!

[Adri]

Re: 2008 Legislature

I've been dismayed in the past few years at the number of "short form bills" (bills with only a title and no content) that get introduced. I understand the function they were supposed to serve but it seems that a few legislators (*cough*Hooser*cough but there have been other legislators in other years) introduce an inordinate amount of short form bills. I dunno, maybe Hooser decided to introduce all the short form bills the senators may need this year. But I dislike short form bills because it makes it harder to keep track of legislation and I think that if something is worthy of becoming a law, it should live or die on its own merits under its own bill without maneuvering by "gutting" other bills and inserting the dying content or stuffing short form bills.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: 2008 Legislature

The short form thing is like a type of "bait and switch" -- because you aren't getting what they said you were going to get. It's deceptive, and it reduces the public's opportunity to consider a proposal.

[AlohaKine]

Re: 2008 Legislature

I've been dismayed in the past few years at the number of "short form bills" (bills with only a title and no content) that get introduced. I understand the function they were supposed to serve but it seems that a few legislators (*cough*Hooser*cough but there have been other legislators in other years) introduce an inordinate amount of short form bills. I dunno, maybe Hooser decided to introduce all the short form bills the senators may need this year. But I dislike short form bills because it makes it harder to keep track of legislation and I think that if something is worthy of becoming a law, it should live or die on its own merits under its own bill without maneuvering by "gutting" other bills and inserting the dying content or stuffing short form bills.

Green has a bunch of blank short form "health" bills as well.

[lavagal]

Re: 2008 Legislature

This popped up on my Google Alerts today.
All I can say is: HANDS OFF MY DIET PEPSI MAX!!!

Hawaii Legislature Considers Ban on Artificial Sweetener ...
OpEdNews - Newtown,PA,USA

[AlohaKine]

Re: 2008 Legislature

This popped up on my Google Alerts today.
All I can say is: HANDS OFF MY DIET PEPSI MAX!!!

Hawaii Legislature Considers Ban on Artificial Sweetener ...
OpEdNews - Newtown,PA,USA

Let's see;
Ban smoking, next up
then ban transfat
then nutrasweet
then plastic bags
then ban styrofoam cups and lunchwagon plate lunch containers
then fireworks on new years
then leafblowers
then....

finally you reach the Taliban / California level with a ban on fun.

I sh*t you not, these are all introduced or passed bills here in Hawaii as of today.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: 2008 Legislature

Here's another bill that made it on the agenda after intense lobbying:

Act 259: Keiki First, an initative for comprehensive early learning system, basically an inititive for early childhood education.

Apparently after the whole June Jones fiasco with the UH's somewhat inferior athletic department's facilities, the 2008 State Legislature deemed it necessary to put Act 259 on the back burner to focus on this apparently more important issue of locker facilities.

With intense lobbying, Act 259 made it on the agenda. Imagine that if it wasn't for the intense lobbying efforts of those in the field of ECE (Early Childhood Education), this act wouldn't have made it on the agenda.

I say shame on our state legislature for attempting to deminish the importance of early childhood education in favor of athletic locker rooms at the UH considering it was a directive from the State Legislature to form this task force to develop ACT 259.

Watch out for this on the 2008 State of Hawaii Legislative session. This is a very important one for the future of Hawaii's keiki.

[craigwatanabe]

Re: 2008 Legislature

This popped up on my Google Alerts today.
All I can say is: HANDS OFF MY DIET PEPSI MAX!!!

Hawaii Legislature Considers Ban on Artificial Sweetener ...
OpEdNews - Newtown,PA,USA

I wonder if Calvin Say read that one before siding with it? Well he must have since he's a Democrat and apparently this whole aspertame issue seems to be a Republican dupe on the public. Unbelievable. Hey did ya know LBJ was a major shareholder in Bell Helicopter when he escalated the Vietnam war. Didn't the War Department buy a lot of them too? Oh BTW Bell is owned by Textron another company shareheld by another Vice President.

[Amati]

Re: 2008 Legislature

This thread has enormous potential to highlight legislative actions this session. I only spotted one other ongoing thread related to this session (a smoking topic thread). I checked that on the legislative website http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov and in the process learned that there is a new search option this year for reading testimony, online: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/docs/docs.asp , "show testimony".

Any other bills being followed by HTers?

(By the way, the link option on this HT site is great!)

[Amati]

Re: 2008 Legislature

Monday there will be a hearing about requiring minors [under 18] to wear helmets while riding on ATVs. Online has the testimony from a previous hearing on the bill, and only the HPD was opposed. Medical entities are all for the "prevention" of head injuries by the usage of helmets.
Previous testimony is at:
http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/...owtestimony=on
By the hearing on Monday, updated testimony should also be available.

Have you spotted any other interesting bills?

Did you know you can get hearing notices on a daily basis by going to http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/docs/docs.asp
Just scroll about half-way down to "get today's hearing notices".

[salmoned]

Re: 2008 Legislature

Here's another bill that made it on the agenda after intense lobbying:

Act 259: Keiki First, an initative for comprehensive early learning system, basically an inititive for early childhood education.

Apparently after the whole June Jones fiasco with the UH's somewhat inferior athletic department's facilities, the 2008 State Legislature deemed it necessary to put Act 259 on the back burner to focus on this apparently more important issue of locker facilities.

With intense lobbying, Act 259 made it on the agenda. Imagine that if it wasn't for the intense lobbying efforts of those in the field of ECE (Early Childhood Education), this act wouldn't have made it on the agenda.

I say shame on our state legislature for attempting to deminish the importance of early childhood education in favor of athletic locker rooms at the UH considering it was a directive from the State Legislature to form this task force to develop ACT 259.

Watch out for this on the 2008 State of Hawaii Legislative session. This is a very important one for the future of Hawaii's keiki.

Personally, I believe Early Childhood Education belongs in the home and Not in the classroom. I don't support the Brave New World ethos of governmental cradle to grave coddling.

[glossyp]

Re: 2008 Legislature

HB2999 (link is to a pdf) is 16-pages of legislation designed to further deny law abiding citizens the right to keep and bear arms. Best described as an "ominbus" bill, HPD has thrown everything they can come up with into the bill covering everything from confiscating legally owned and licensed firearms from citizens during times of natural disaster or national emergency to requiring the purchaser of ammunition to show proof that they own the gun they are purchasing ammo for - no more sending one person to purchase ammo for a hunting trip or getting a gift of ammo for a loved one. This bill will be in front of the Judiciary committee tomorrow. I'm particularly disturbed at the desire of the police to take away my firearms during times of disaster and emergency - right when you are most likely to actually need such protection. Of course, if I purchase my firearms illegally and never register them, they won't get confiscated. Once again, the gun-control laws will only negatively impact the law abiding citizen, not the criminal.

[Amati]

Re: 2008 Legislature

HB2999 (link is to a pdf) is 16-pages of legislation designed to further deny law abiding citizens the right to keep and bear arms.

The last sentence of the last page pertains to the government excepting [exempting] itself from liability. If the law is needed to "protect us", and liabilities built into the law, should not the government have the same liability as you and me?

[glossyp]

Re: 2008 Legislature

The last sentence of the last page pertains to the government excepting [exempting] itself from liability. If the law is needed to "protect us", and liabilities built into the law, should not the government have the same liability as you and me?

Clearly, the authors of the bill think it's possible that those in authority could do something harmful in the good faith pursuit of their duties (that's the best case reading of that sentence - cynics would see something more sinister), so they're willing to give the powers that be a pass. Not so for the lowly citizen. Is it fair? I don't think so.

[Amati]

Re: 2008 Legislature

Clearly, the authors of the bill think it's possible that those in authority could do something harmful in the good faith pursuit of their duties (that's the best case reading of that sentence - cynics would see something more sinister), so they're willing to give the powers that be a pass. Not so for the lowly citizen. Is it fair? I don't think so.

Wonder if this "pass" would have been handy for the upcoming lawsuit about the baby dying at the airport in immigration?
http://http://the.honoluluadvertiser...802120340.html
Even the government needs accountability.