Kalani High School Aloha Aina Earth Day

Saturday, January 14, 2011 | 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM

You can help Kalani High School with their Recycling Program.

Questions? Call Julia 586-8420.

DOWNLOAD THE ALOHA AINA FLYER

(PDF)

Opening Day to Be Scaled Back

State Senate and House leadership have decided to scale back the annual opening day activities of the Hawaii State Legislature. Instead of the large ceremony filled with speeches and entertainment, the leadership decided to “diligently address the problems confronting this state” by reverting to a “working” opening day that “would be consistent with this expectation.” In other words, just a normal “business session” where the formalities of opening the session with the introduction of formal resolutions will be on the order of the day.

As the Senate Minority Leader, I expect that I will be able to deliver my opening day speech as I have in the past, addressing the most pressing problems (budget, education, economy, energy, environment and more) in search of solutions for the coming year. The 2012 Legislature will commence on Wednesday, January 18 starting at 10:00 a.m. in both the Senate and House chambers.

Because of the scaled back opening, there will be no invitations sent out to family or guests. No one from the public will be seated on the Senate or House floors and gallery seating will be on a “first come first serve” basis. Tickets will not be distributed.

My Senate office will be holding an “after session” get together complete with soft drinks, snacks, entertainment and conversation. You are invited to our office on opening day in Room 214.

The scaled back opening day will be very much like the one done during the 2010 session.

Updated News Items 10-22-2011

As printed in the Waialae-Kahlala #3 Neighborhood Board Report from Senator Sam Slom, October 20, 2011.

State Budget in Dire Straits

A Capitol panel on October 11, sponsored by the House Republicans, with Sheila Weinberg of the Chicago Institute for Truth in Accounting, State Budget Director Kal Young, former Council of Revenues Chair, Paul Brewbaker and Maui Chamber of Commerce President Pamel Tumpap spoke on various issues and concerns regarding the State Budget.

If you thought Hawaiiʼs spending and debt crisis is bad; itʼs worse than you thought. Weinbergʼs organization identified Hawaii as a “sinkhole” state and ranked Hawaii 47th worst in the Nation. Mr. Young stated that the State Employee Retirement System (ERS) and the Hawaii Employee-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund (EUTF) are “problematic, unfunded obligations”.

Budget impacts from education and human services will put more burden on the state and the taxpayers.

The Senate Republican caucus will be refining its alternate state budget in the coming months and during the 2012 session.

Lawsuits Filed after Redistricting

The Hawaii State Reapportionment Commission is being sued after the final redistricting plans finalized last month. The Reapportionment Commission also voted on a revision to State Senate staggered terms which is based on a formula based on population. For the 8th district the State Senate term will be 4 years after 2012.

Despite the apparent finality of the commissionʼs redistricting work, two lawsuits have been filed against the Reapportionment Commission on the issues of residency and the constitutionality of its decision. Basically some politicians and people on the Big Island want another senatorial district.

Redistricting maps were redrawn last month to extract some but not all military populations residing in the state. The U.S. Census Bureau includes all of the military in the official census count. Most of the states count their military, prison and student populations during the redistricting process.

Outspoken critics who opposed counting everyone continually forced the issue eventually getting the council to reconsider their original 8 to 1 vote to include the entire population and go with one of 3 population extraction plans (Extraction A). The opponents cited a 1992 state constitutional amendment as the basis for their opposition in hopes of getting a new Senate district for the Big Island. With extraction A, that did not happen.

Several individuals stated that the legislature needs to define what a “permanent resident” is in order to have clarity on the issue at the next reapportionment 10 years from now. Legislation to correct some of the issues brought up during the reapportionment process may be drafted for the upcoming session.

Current redistricting plans can be viewed on the commissionʼs website at: http://hawaii.gov/elections/reapportionment/

Hawaii State Legislature Website Gets a Major Makeover

The Hawaii State Legislatureʼs website at www.capitol.hawaii.gov is getting a major makeover this weekend in an attempt to make the site easier to use and packed with more features.

Among some of the new major features will be the ability to do just about everything from the home page. Users will be able to get bill status, search by keyword, get hearing notices by date, pick up the order of the day, search the Hawaii Revised Statutes, submit testimony, and s e t up personalized bill tracking with notes and custom bill lists all from links on the home page. Users will be able to set up their own accounts and keep their legislative information (like custom bill lists) online. Frequent testifiers will not have to enter basic information every time they send in new testimony with a user login. The options, links and information are plentiful complete with an archive (like before) that goes back to 1999.

Second Shoe Falling From Act 105 GET Taxes

By State Senator Sam Slom
July 2011

Governor Abercrombie signed Act 105 (SB 754) a month ago (June 14) and the law, which became effective July 1, is causing major economic disturbances in Hawaii as predicted.

The bill was a key component in the Governor’s 2011 plan to increase tax revenues to try and meet the $1.3 billion two-year (FY 12, FY 13) budget deficit. The estimated taxes generated by this one measure are more than $400 million over the two years.

This one bill, by “temporarily” suspending long-practiced exemptions from the State’s regressive and pyramiding gross income general excise (not sales) tax has added to cost burdens for business and individuals.

Proponents of the bill described it as an “equity” measure that would end tax loopholes and bring in needed revenues. It was also heralded as “temporary” for two years only. Do you remember the last “temporary” Hawaii tax?

We opponents of this bill explained this was not a loophole but an attempt to balance out double taxation in the GET. We warned that the law would have far-reaching negative economic implications, unintended consequences and a new and heftier cost burden on Island residents.

All of this has come true since July 1 including higher airline costs, added shipping surcharges (Matson added $52 per container just for this law), new costs for sub contractors and sub lessees.

However, the second shoe had fallen. Other issues—unintended—began to surface last week as AOAO condo associations began to notify owners that previously tax-excluded utility, maintenance and other separated cost items would now be subject to the 4.5% GET on Oahu. Non-profits are also adversely burdened. Other transfer entities have also been informed of new tax costs.

Calls to the State Department of Taxation for clarification have resulted in mixed but generally unsatisfactory responses. Calls to individual legislative offices have also resulted in confusion.

Why? Because the law is confusing and not fully transparent.

The history of the law needs to be disclosed also. Especially, since lawmakers such as myself supported the original bill and now are being criticized for supporting the new law (we don’t).

SB 754 was introduced on January 21 this year by Senators Carol Fukunaga, Suzanne Chun Oakland and Rosalyn Baker. Four other Senators, including myself, signed on to the bill. SB 754 was a Small Business Caucus package bill that, “Amends distribution of partial payment of taxes to principal first, then penalties, then interest.” A good bill. A necessary bill.

The small business reform bill passed the Senate WAM Committee with amendments unanimously, and the full Senate 24-0 (Shimabukuro was excused) on March 8. It went to the House.

On April 4, the House Finance Committee amended the bill further.

By now, the bill’s contents had been “ gutted and replaced” with the tax increase in place.

On April 29, the new bill, SB 754,SD1, HD1, CD1 emerged from Conference Committee.

The public was just beginning to understand the full impact of this bill. There was bipartisan pushback from the final version of the bill.

Final “No” votes in the House (5/3/2011) were: Brower, Ching, Cullen, Fontaine, Har, Johanson, Marumoto, Riviere, Thielen and Ward. (Carroll and Pine were excused).

Final “No” votes in the Senate (5/3/2011) were: Baker, Chun Oakland, Espero, Fukunaga, Green, Ihara, Slom and Wakai.

Now the bill is law and the consequences continue to emerge. My office will inform the public on any further tax decisions.

In the meantime, the senate Minority’s Budget Chief, Arik Look, has prepared this summary with additional information.

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Town Hall Meeting on the Closing of Foodland in Hawaii Kai

Town Hall Meeting on the Closing of Foodland in Hawaii Kai

Representative Gene Ward and State Senator Sam Slom held a Town Hall Meeting on the Closing of Foodland in Hawaii Kai

The demographics for the zip codes 96821, 96822 and 96825 shows approximately 92,000 people.

“It’s insane to think that Safeway and Costco can sustain a community and just Hawaii Kai, with almost 60,000 people,” said Paige Altonn a local resident who organized the town hall meeting and has started a petition.

For more information contact Representative Gene Ward at repward@hawaii.gov or Senator Sam Slom at senslom@capitol.hawaii.gov.

Text and video by Michelle Van Hessen

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