Legislators undecided on special session

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

After meeting separately with their members yesterday, House and Senate leaders said lawmakers are still divided on whether to convene a special session to override the governor's veto of a bill criminalizing sex between adults and young teenagers.

But House Speaker Calvin Say, D-18th (Palolo, St. Louis, Kaimuki), said he personally would rather address the bill and any other vetoed measures in the regular session next year.

"There's always another session to address the concerns the governor submitted in his veto statement," he said.

Lawmakers began discussing an override after Gov. Ben Cayetano vetoed a bill that would have made it illegal for 14- and 15-year-olds to have consensual sex with adults at least five years older.

Say and Senate President Robert Bunda also said many lawmakers who were interested in a special session want to override other bills, but they said it would complicate discussions between the House and Senate.

"We could get into some confusion if we did take out all of those bills that everyone wants to override," said Bunda, D-22nd (Wahiawa, Waialua, Sunset Beach).

The bills lawmakers want to override include a measure to extend unemployment benefits for former Kaua'i Amfac sugar workers, and a measure to establish a two-year pilot program to provide grants to current or former Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund policy-holders to install wind-damage mitigation devices.