Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 15, Number 7, 1 July 1998 — LAGA and the 1998 legislature [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

LAGA and the 1998 legislature

ALOHA NUI kākou. This is my I7th article in a series of 46. I wouid like to highlight and provide focus on OHA's Legislative and Governmental Affairs Committee, or LAGA, and the 1998 legislature. The Board of Trustees reorganized Oct. 14 under Chairperson DeSoto and approved LAGA's new structure to include Chair Apoliona, Vice Chair Springer, and members Machado, Aiona and Keale. On Jan. 20, Chairperson DeSoto sought to appoint for the legislative session a lobby team including four of LAGA's five members: Apoliona, Aiona, Machado and Springer. For at least five eonsecutive years, the BOT had had a lobby team. On Jan. 20, the vote needed failed by one. Trustees DeSoto, Apoliona, Machado and Springer voted in favor; Trustee Aiona abstained; Trustee Hee voted against; and Trustees Akana and Keale were not present. With no lobby team to pro-

vide daily guidance, LAGA met weekly to review and approve staff recommendations on OHA's position on legislation. Between February, the deadline for the submission for bills, and April, LAGA met two to three hours weekly for ten weeks. Due to the consistent attendance of Trustees Machado and Springer - as well as Aiona, health permitting - LAGA never lacked a quorum. OHA's administration and divisions provided the committee timely review and recommendations. OHA's government affairs office provided exemplary support to LAGA. in addition to that ffom the eomminee chair's staff. During the 1998 legislature, bills introduced totaled 2,552 (house, 1257; senate, 1295). Of those, only 278 passed, or 10.9 percent. OHA's divisions reviewed more than 1 , 1 00 bills and recommended positions on them all to LAGA. Additionally, more than 465 concurrent resolutions and 192 resolutions were reviewed and positions

recommended to LAGA. OHA supported 47 bills of whieh nine passed, or 19.1 percent, eompared with the legislature's overall passage rate of 10.9 percent. OHA opposed 47 bills; 38

were killed, or 8 1 percent. Of 465 concurrent resolutions introduced, 99 were adopted, or 21.2 percent. OHA supported 13 concurrent resolutions; six were adopted, or 46. 1 percent, better than the legislature's overall adoption rate of 21.2

percent. OHA opposed two; one was killed, or 50 percent. OHA supported none of the 192 resolutions introduced, of whieh 74, or 38.5 percent, were adopted. OHA opposed one and it was killed. At the end of the 1998 legislature, OHA had testified more than 210 times on more than 1 20 measures. OHA introduced six bills as a package in both the house and senate. House committees heard all the bills and "held" them. The senate committees heard three of the six and "held" them. Resoundingly defeated by testimony and demonstration were HB 2340, the Native Hawaiian Autonomy Bill, and HB 2351, Relating to Traditional and Customary Native Hawaiian Rights. Opposed by OHA but passed by the legislature on April 29 was HB 3 1 30, Relating to a Constitutional Convention, whieh provides for submission to the electorate at the general election on Nov. 3 the question of whether to hold a constitutional convention to redraft the state constitution. A senate bill OHA successfully

opposed was SB 1638, Relating to a Proposed Reduction of OHA's General Funds. The senate's Water, Land and Hawaiian Affairs Committee added language that would have provided the director of budget and finance the opportunity to amend OHA's budget in between legislative sessions, apparently in circumvention of the legislature's authority. Additionally, the senate eommittee deleted the term "board of trustees," as regards the transfer, reduction or elimination of appropriations, positions and salaries, thereby ealling into question where the authority for these decision resides. Through the efforts of the house finance chair, Calvin Say and senate Ways and Means Co-chairs Carol Fukunaga and Rosalyn Baker, SB 1638 was held and is "dead." Mahalo nui to all who helped in OHA's 1998 legislative advocacy. The pre-legislature time must be used strategically. Congratulations are in order for Trustee Herbert Campos, appointed LAGA chair on June 9. ■

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TRUSTEE MESSAGES Vice-chairperson ' s m e s s a g e

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