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Vote Your Voice on Eight Issues

Mar 04, 2010 | By James Koshiba

Being a member of Kanu Hawaii is about personal commitments to change, but it's also about working together to change the world around us. By speaking out, we can encourage our laws and our policy makers to reflect the same values we are committed to in our daily lives.

Each year, the Legislature makes hundreds of laws that shape our future. Many of us want to get involved in this process, but it's hard to know where to begin. The Make Our Voices Count campaign is designed to make it easier.

To simplify the process for members, a small team of Kanu staff and volunteers will follow a handful of important issues at the Capitol. The team will read through bills, track changes and progress, and keep the rest of us informed throughout March and April.

This year our choice of issues was shaped by three considerations:

1. We looked for issues connected to Kanu's core island values of environmental stewardship, compassionate community, and local self reliance.


2. We were mindful of the fiscal crisis. We tried to steer clear of proposals that would require large amounts of ongoing funding. We also bore in mind that spending in one area will mean not spending in others.


3. We focused on areas where urgent conditions this year (the fiscal crisis, elections, and bad economy) might lead to especially good or bad policies (see our preview post for more on this point).

 

Considering these factors, the team came up with the short list of issues below. We offer a "draft" position on each, have buttons to vote "agree" or "disagree" with the position, and then space to discuss. Like our commitments, our votes and comments are visible to other Kanu members.

Disagreeing with the "draft" positions is encouraged. Even members of the team that developed the list disagree on some of them. 

As the votes and comments make clear where members are united, the team will create opportunities for us to speak out together: calls for testimony, events at the Capitol, letters to representatives to sign onto, etc. These calls to action will be shaped by the member views shared in this space.

Because budget and tax issues are so important this year, and hard to summarize, we decided to publish separate posts on them, rather than asking people to vote on them here.

We know there will be differences of opinion among us. The strength of the Kanu community lies in our ability to speak with respect and aloha when we do not agree, and to speak with passion and unity when we do. Speaking out about our opinions requires courage -- precisely the kind of courage democracy needs to thrive.

Share Your Views

1. Use a new "barrel fee" on imported oil to fund future energy and food security

Hawaii's is deeply dependent on imported oil for electricity, gasoline, and jet fuel. As the price of oil continues to rise, these items get more expensive for all of us. Importing oil also means we send billions of dollars out of state, and that we add to the global warming crisis. This measure would place a fee on every barrel of oil, with fees used to fund alternative energy and food security projects. The current bill would add a $1.00 fee on each oil barrel, generating $22 million per year to be split among funds for renewable energy and efficiency projects, local agriculture and food, and other programs. Critics argue that the barrel fee increases the cost of living during an already hard time, especially for the poor who spend more of their paycheck on essential items. The estimated impact of a $1.00/barrel fee is about $0.03 per gallon of gas, and about $2 per monthly electricity bill. If the fees are invested properly in local energy and food, it could protect families from the rising price of oil in the future. On balance, we think we should support of this measure. Current bill: HB2421.

 

2. Bond financing for renewable energy and efficiency upgrades for homes and businesses

Energy upgrades like solar panels, solar water heating, sky lights, natural ventilation, and efficient light fixtures help cut electric bills, reduce climate emissions, and save money. As investments, these upgrades pay for themselves, then keep saving money over time. A major reason why more people don't make these upgrades is the up-front cost. This proposal would allow the State to raise money with general obligation bonds, then use the money to make loans to home- and business-owners for energy-related improvements. Loans would be repaid through a special property tax assessment, so the loan would would attach to the property rather than to the borrower. Affordable financing will eliminate up-front cost as a barrier, and fuel renewable energy industries (e.g., solar companies), creating jobs, and moving the state toward energy security. The model is not without challenges: Berkeley has had low participation using a similar model in part because bond interest rates were too high to be attractive to borrowers. These pitfalls will need to be addressed by the program, but assuming they can be worked out, we think we should support it. Current bill: HB2643.

 

3. Use a portion of the Hurricane Relief Fund to restore school days this year

This measure would use a portion of the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund to restore remaining furlough days this school year. The current measure would take $36 million out of the $188 million Hurricane Fund to restore 4 to 6 days of instruction from keiki (depending on when action is taken by the Governor and the teachers' union to tap the funds). If the Legislature passes this measure quickly, it could spur the Governor and union to reach an agreement and put kids back in class before the school year ends. It would also place Hawaii in better standing to compete for federal education funds, which require States to prove that education ranks high among its policy priorities. The education of our keiki is critical to building the compassionate, resilient, sustainable Hawaii we hope for. We feel we should support this measure. Current bill: SB2124.

4. Use funds from the Rainy Day Fund to maintain essential health and human services

The Emergency & Budget Reserve Fund (aka the Rainy Day Fund) was created to provide temporary funding for programs essential to "education, safety, human services, and public health" during a fiscal crisis. Due to the poor state of Hawaii's economy, these programs had their budgets cut last year, and have had to reduce services to clients at the very moment when needs are increasing with the down economy. One way to bridge this gap is by tapping the Rainy Day Fund, whose original purpose was to act as a safety net for essential public programs during hard economic times. We think the measure of a compassionate community is how we treat those who are most vulnerable among us and that we should stand in support of this bill. Current bill: SB2469.

5. Limit and disclose corporate political contributions

As in years past, lawmakers are proposing to lift limits on corporate contributions to candidates. The most recent bills on this issue remove the cap on corporate contributions entirely. Citizen groups like Common Cause argue that the amount of corporate funds given directly to candidates should be zero, or a very low limit-such as the $1,000 cap previously set by State law. Furthermore, citizen groups believe that corporations should be required to disclose all donations and expenditures through a political action committee to ensure transparency. We too believe campaign funds should come from individuals, not corporate bank accounts, and that all corporate contributions to candidates should be reported in a complete and timely manner. We believe we should stand in favor of capping corporate contributions and making them more transparent. Current bills: SB2918 and HB2968 establish disclosure and limitation regulations. HB2003 removes them.

 

6. Uphold laws prohibiting government contractors from making political contributions

Currently, Hawaii law prohibits government contractors from contributing to political campaigns. The law is designed to prevent "pay to play," i.e., making campaign contributions in exchange for lucrative government contracts. New proposals by lawmakers would eliminate the restriction entirely or create an exception for contractors who win competitive contracts. The State Campaign Spending Commission has testified against this idea, along with several good government watchdog groups. Although testimony at hearings has consistently opposed this change to the law, proposals to allow contributions by government contractors are still moving forward. We feel that money should not buy political influence or government contracts and that we should stand against proposals to weaken the existing law. Current bills: HB2003.

7. Urge lawmakers to take a vote on civil unions

On January 22, 2010, the Hawaii State Senate passed House Bill 444 by a vote of 18 to 7. The measure would permit civil unions, granting same-sex and opposite-sex couples the same legal rights, including Social Security, Medicare, the right to visit a spouse in hospital, and other securities as a couple. One week later, the House scheduled a hearing to vote, but on the morning of the hearing, House Speaker Calvin Say motioned that the bill be “be postponed indefinitely,” an action that allows House Members to stop the measure's progress, but also abstain from voting on it. At this point, House members could have requested a roll call vote, so that members' positions on the issue would be clear, but such a vote was never called for. Without a roll call vote, the public is prevented from knowing where our representatives stand on this important issue. Whether we support or oppose the passage of civil unions in Hawaii, good government requires leaders willing to be held accountable by the people. We believe lawmakers should vote and let us know where each of them stands on civil unions.

8.Mandate a minimum number of school days or hours per school year

A majority of school districts in the country have a required minimum number of school days and/or instructional hours. Most require at least 180 days of instruction (many developed countries have school years of 200 days or more). In Hawaii, the number of school days depends on the teachers' contract, which is negotiated by the Governor, the BOE/DOE, and teachers' union. In last year's negotiations, the parties agreed to fill the budget gap by taking 17 furlough days, leaving Hawaii with a 163-day school year, the shortest in the country. There are several measures proposing a minimum number of school days or hours in law. One would require a school year of 200 days or equivalent amount of instructional hours.  Another would require hours which add up to 180 days per school year. We feel these proposals would help prevent our keiki from being short-changed from instruction in the future and that we should stand in support of them. Current bill: SB2470 requires a 200 day school year.  HB2486 requires a minimum number of hours equal to 180 days.

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