Posted on: Friday, April 20, 2001

New chairperson rules 'outrageous,' House GOP says

By Ronna Bolante
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

House Republicans are objecting to a change in committee guidelines made by heads of the House and Senate, calling the move "undemocratic" and "outrageous."

The change, proposed by Senate President Robert Bunda and approved last week by House Speaker Calvin Say, requires that all chairpersons in a conference committee approve a bill in order for it to pass.

Conference committees are appointed from both houses to resolve differences between House and Senate bills before they go to the floors for final approval.

Under the new guidelines, any House or Senate chairperson can kill a bill by voting it down even if it is approved by the majority of the committee.

"Now we're suddenly back in the situation where the chair is the all-powerful individual and the other people on the committee don't really count for much," said House Minority Leader Galen Fox, R–21st (Waikiki, Ala Wai).

House Republicans will introduce resolutions today to undo the amendment, Fox said.

Say said yesterday the new guidline basically gives Senate chairpersons the same power House chairpersons have now.

Before last week's amendment, Say said, a bill already needed the support of the House chairs and the majority of conference committee members in order to pass.

"I don't know what the paranoia is," said Say, D-18th (Palolo, St. Louis, Kaimuki). "I put a lot of faith ... and trust in the members and the managers."

Both Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have also criticized the bill. Sen. Les Ihara, D-10th (Waikikii, Kaimuki), said he plans to submit a petition to Bunda D-22 (Wahiawa-Haleiwa-North Shore) today asking him to withdraw the amendment.

Ihara said the amendment allows chairpersons to "trade with each other," promising to approve other chairpersons' bills if their own bills are passed in return.

"It gives the chairs super powers," Ihara said. "It allows for leveraging and quid pro quo."

Say said that "horse trading" is just a part of politics.

"I'm not going to play that game," Say said. "I put a lot of faith and trust in the chairs that I appoint."

Ihara contends that the move was also illegal because the amendment was made without allowing either house to vote on the issue.

Say said the amendment only affects procedural guidelines — not legislative rules — so it does not require a floor vote.