Editorial
Keep new powers out in the sunshine

The so-called "King Ben" bill granting the governor emergency superpowers to suspend, waive or defer any state contract obligations has been downsized to, let's say, a Prince Ben bill.

That means Gov. Ben Cayetano cannot tinker arbitrarily with just any state contract or lease in the campaign to pull the state out of a post-Sept. 11 economic slump.

But although the legislation includes numerous safeguards against potential abuse, the public still needs to know exactly who is getting emergency relief and how much.

And that's where the bill gets a bit fuzzy. The legislation tells us how to qualify for relief, but offers no formula on how much of a break each applicant is entitled to.

Moreover, the governor is to issue monthly reports on his use of emergency powers to the Legislature or, if is not in session, to an "advisory committee" made up of the Senate president, House speaker and minority leaders of the House and Senate.

That information is supposed to be passed on to the public. But the bill doesn't spell out how.

Theoretically, Cayetano can do a lot with his emergency powers between now and April 30 when the bill expires.

For example, the University of Hawai'i plans to build a biotechnology park in Kaka'ako that will house a medical school, cancer research center and the Pacific Biomedical Research Center.

The wheels of that high-priority development could be well greased if the governor's new emergency powers are used to cut through normal time-consuming permitting and zoning procedures.

That might be just what we need to prop up the economy. But why should we wait for occasional reports or review by lawmakers to find out what's up?

Why not have the governor post his emergency activities — in real time — on his Web site? That way, everyone will know who's getting the work and the perks, and can decide for themselves if what he has done is justified. Frequent and thorough reports on the emergency activities would also help people decide whether they're qualified for such help themselves.