Senator Donna Mercado Kim: 2010 Legislative Session

February 2011

Stories:
2011 Legislative Initiatives
Senator Kim on the Hot Seat
Community Survey 2011
Photos: Active and Involved

2011 Legislative Initiatives

Education

Appointed Board of Education

Voters were asked on the November 2nd ballot “Shall the Board of Education be changed to a board appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate, as provided by law?” By a significant margin, 57.4% of voters wanted an appointed school board, with 37.8% opposed. Now the goal this session will be to expedite the passage of a bill that determines how the appointees will be chosen.

Last year the Legislature passed House bill 2377 that determined how the new board would be chosen. But the bill was vetoed by Governor Linda Lingle, leaving the process in limbo. Two proposals are now being considered: (1) open nominations from which the governor could choose the candidates at large, subject to approval by the Senate and (2) allowing the governor to draw from a list of names submitted from an advisory panel, similar to the selection process for the UH Board of Regents; subject to approval by the Senate. Those supporting an appointed school board believe that the governor would be held accountable for the public school system if he appoints the board.

School Consolidations

The Department of Education continues to look at school closures across the state in response to declining enrollment and rising expenses. In December, public hearings were held on proposed consolidations for Kalani, Kaiser and Farrington complex elementary schools. Consolidations of the state's smallest schools are being considered as a way to cut costs.

Within the Farrington complex, the Department of Education reported on closing Kalihi and/or Puuhale Elementary school. Kalihi Elementary has 295 children and Puuhale Elementary has an enrollment of 234. The department's study said closing these two campuses would be the least disruptive option, with Puuhale Elementary students transferred to Kalihi Kai Elementary and Kalihi Elementary students split between Kalihi Uka and Kaewai elementary schools. Closure of these schools would save about $1.5 million a year.

The Department of Education will submit its recommendations to the Board of Education. In my last issue of the Community Bulletin, our Community Survey asked "Would you be in favor of closure of a school if the savings generated is reallocated to the remaining schools? 85% of you said "yes". For more information, go to hawaiidoe.org and click on consolidation studies or call the DOE's Honolulu District office at 733- 4952.

Improved Access to Legislature

With advances in technology, Hawaii's Legislature has made significant progress in providing access to legislative information. In addition to contacting your legislator, you may want to address a particular concern to the committee that is charged with hearing measures related to that issue. To ensure that you are presenting your issue to the right committee so it can be addressed properly:

• Visit the Public Access Room website at http://hawaii.gov/lrb/par/

• Click the information sheets link

• Click the pdf link for either the "Senate Leadership & Committee Membership" or the "House Leadership & Committee Membership" to view which legislators are on which committees

Bills are posted in full on the Legislature's newly re-designed and enhanced website, www.capitol.hawaii.gov. Along with the text of the bill, you can view testimony, updated status and committee reports. Coverage of selected hearings, briefings, floor sessions and other legislative proceedings are also broadcast live on Capitol TV or on the Internet. Check www.capitoltv.org for updated information on broadcast and rebroadcast information for Oahu. We will continually strive for increased public access, community engagement and government transparency.

Hawaii Senate Green Initiative Update

Going green – The Senate began a paperless initiative with a few committees in the 2008 Legislative session. Results: paper usage was reduced by 60 percent, a savings of over 6 million sheets of paper or 725 trees. Based on this, the Senate initiative expanded to include all Senators and all committees. By 2009, the Senate led the nation's legislative bodies in its paperless initiative to include all Senators and all committees. The Senate is committed to setting an example for a "sustainable" future for Hawaii. The Senate is the first state agency to participate in the State's latest green initiative. It is our hope that this effort will expand to other State offices to further reduce paper consumption. Software will be installed to track the amount of power being saved and associated cost savings.

Tourism

Hawaii's economic recovery relies heavily on our visitor industry. The overall positive trend with growth in visitor arrivals and spending can be described as "cautiously optimistic". Each year, approximately $65-70 million is allocated to the Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) to market and promote Hawaii as a destination and $34 million is expended for the Convention Center debt service and operations. Rest assured the Tourism Committee will scrutinize all expenditures made by HTA.

As the Chair for the Senate Tourism Committee, I look forward to the 2011 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), a major event for Hawaii. The success of this forum will depend on the coordination of telecommunications, airport access, and hotel operations. With delegates from 21 countries expected at this forum, this is a key marketing opportunity to promote Hawaii as a favorable venue in the Asia-Pacific region to conduct business.