Posted on: Tuesday, July 1, 2003

Override support gathers steam

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

The possibility of a special legislative session to override some of Gov. Linda Lingle's vetoes gained momentum yesterday, as the Senate heard more than six hours of public testimony and House Democrats neared the head-count needed for a successful override.

Financial cuts to social-service providers and broader powers for state Auditor Marion Higa were key issues for both houses, while emergency contraception remains a hot topic among state representatives.

After 32 of the 36 House Democrats met for more than an hour yesterday, Majority Leader Rep. Scott Saiki, D-22nd (McCully, Pawa'a), said, "There seemed to be support in our caucus for an override session."

Senate President Robert Bunda, D-22nd (North Shore, Wahiawa), similarly said, "I think there's a strong feeling for an override session considering the testimony that we heard today."

Bunda said senators will talk among themselves and with House members and, he hopes, will reach a decision on whether to hold a special session by Thursday.

Saiki said that by Thursday the House majority will confirm whether the Democrats will have the minimum 34 votes necessary to override a veto. He said he would also need to verify the travel schedules of three representatives who might not be present.

A veto override by the House of Senate Bill 658, which would provide emergency contraceptives to victims of sexual assault, would probably require the votes of some Republicans, because the Democrats were not unanimous in passing the bill, Saiki said. "We're hoping that the Republicans that were in favor of these bills will be consistent."

A special session would need to be convened by next Tuesday to override the vetoes.

The Senate's informational briefing on the 50 vetoed bills drew a standing-room only crowd that overflowed into an adjacent conference room and into the hall.

Most of the testimony regarded line-item vetoes in Senate Bill 1305, which cut $3.6 million from social-service providers and nonprofits.

Frank Chong, of the Alliance for Health and Human Services, testified that cutting the money for social-service agencies would affect the entire system of social services.

"It will create a ripple effect in the entire system from youth services, healthcare, domestic violence to legal services and so forth. A shutdown of one program or agency lessens our ability to refer clients from one agency to another," Chong said.

Annabel Murray, project coordinator for the 4-year-old Na Keiki Law Center, said, "I, for one, was shocked, when our funding was cut."

She said she worried what would happen if children and families could not call the law center to find out what their rights were, or how to keep themselves safe.

Murray also argued that the $200,000 that was vetoed for her program would have saved the state three times as much in foster care and state intervention that will be necessary without the law center's services.

Lingle, who watched the televised hearing from her office, said she would expect any agency to which the state had provided money to make that point, "but it doesn't get me money in the bank at this time to pay them their grant."

While many argued that the money would come from the state's "rainy day" emergency fund, rather than the general fund, Lingle said the rainy day fund was meant to be a cushion for the general fund.

"I wish I could give (the agencies) twice as much as they're asking for," she said. "If we spend money we don't have, we're going to pay for it down the line."

Higa testified in support of an override of House Bill 282, which requires state agencies to reimburse the legislative auditor for the cost of financial audits conducted by or contracted by the auditor.

Lingle said she supported doubling the auditor's money for operational audits of departments, but not the independent financial audits Higa wants to manage.

She also pointed out that the Legislature passed the same bill last year only to have it vetoed by Gov. Ben Cayetano. "They didn't talk about overriding that veto. It was the same issue, the same auditor, different governor. This year they want to veto it," Lingle said.