House debates special session

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Members of the House leadership said yesterday they are still considering a special session to override some of the vetoes sent down by Gov. Linda Lingle on Friday.

House vice speaker Sylvia Luke said leadership was concerned about three vetoed measures: emergency contraception, increased authority for the auditor to audit state departments and line-item vetoes for social services financing. The $3.6 million in cuts affect Kahuku Hospital, the sex abuse treatment center, the Na Keiki Law Center and others.

Luke, D-26th (Punchbowl, Pacific Heights, Nu'uanu Valley), Majority Leader Scott Saiki, D-22nd (McCully, Pawa'a), and Majority Whip Brian Schatz, D-25th (Makiki, Tantalus) said they will wait until after the House meets on Monday to determine whether there is support for a special session.

House Speaker Calvin Say, D-20th (St. Louis Heights, Palolo, Wilhelmina Rise), was not present. He has said several times that he would prefer not to have a special session.

An override would require at least a two-thirds vote in the House and Senate. In the House, that requires 34 members. Two of the 36 Democrats are out of the state for military duty, so Luke said they would be looking for support from Republicans.

However, House Minority Leader Galen Fox, R-23rd (Waikiki, Ala Moana, Kaka'ako), said they were satisfied with the governor's explanations of her vetoes. Because the Republicans generally agree that Lingle has done the right thing, "under these circumstances it wouldn't make much sense to have a special session to override her vetoes," Fox said.

Senate President Robert Bunda, D-22nd (North Shore, Wahiawa), said there is a "strong sentiment" among Senate Democratic leaders for a special session. But he said Senate Democrats still need to come up with their priority lists before he can identify which bills they are most interested in.