High court lets Cayetano's vetoes stand

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Gov. Ben Cayetano's vetoes of 13 bills still stand, for now.

The Hawai'i Supreme Court yesterday refused to hear Senate Vice President Colleen Hanabusa's request to invalidate the governor's June 24 vetoes of 13 bills.

But Hanabusa, who had filed a request for a court order with the high court on Monday, said she will decide over the next few days whether she will file another lawsuit with the Circuit Court.

Hanabusa contends that the 13 bills the governor vetoed on June 24 missed the deadline by one day. According to Hanabusa, two state attorney general opinions support her case.

Among the bills at issue are measures providing a $75 million tax break for an aquarium project at the Ko Olina resort, campaign finance reform, a 4 percent tax credit for commercial construction and an extension of rent relief for concessionaires at state airports.

Cayetano said yesterday: "We were confident we would prevail. If the dialogue needs to continue, let the focus be on addressing the serious flaws in the legislation. I hope this puts an end to the legal wrangling."

But Hanabusa said the Supreme Court's decision does not validate the governor's vetoes. "The Supreme Court didn't say he was right," she said. "It just said the extraordinary remedy would not be granted at this time."