LEGISLATURE 2003 STATUS REPORT
Government

Advertiser Staff

Lawmakers closed the 2003 legislative session Thursday after taking action on hundreds of bills. Here are many of the more significant bills.

Bills that passed will be sent to Gov. Linda Lingle for signature or veto. Lawmakers can override a veto by a two-thirds vote of each house.

State budget
(HB 200 HD1 SD1 CD1)

Gives a $7.6 billion biennial general fund budget and a capital improvements package totaling about $400 million. Takes about $72 million from special funds and $10.5 million from the rainy day fund but keeps the Hurricane Relief Fund as well as the Act 221 high-tech tax credits intact.

Salary commission
(SB 1332 SD2 HD2 CD1)

Establishes an executive salary commission to review and recommend the salaries of the governor, the lieutenant governor, cabinet members, executive officers and deputy department heads. The new salaries would take effect unless the Legislature rejects them.

Campaign signs
(HB 373 HD2 SD1 CD1)

Repeals prohibition against displaying campaign signs more than 45 days prior to and 10 days following an election. It also allows tenants to put up campaign signs without interference from landlords.

Elections by mail
(HB 754)

Allows any federal, state, or county election other than a regularly scheduled primary or general election to be conducted by mail.

Paid leave
(SB 205 SD3 HD2 CD1)

Requires public employers to provide at least two hours of paid leave a year during normal business hours to attend parent-teacher conferences for the employee's minor child.

Public safety
(SB 1393 SD2 HD1 CD1)

Requires the state Department of Public Safety to conduct a study on splitting the department into a department of corrections and a law enforcement department. Gov. Linda Lingle had proposed such a division of the public safety department.

Campaign contributions

Bans companies seeking nonbid government contracts worth more than $25,000 from donating to candidates for offices that have contracting authority. Doubles the amount of money candidates can give to community groups, and cuts the amount gubernatorial candidates can collect from each donor from $6,000 to $4,000.

Voter registration

Allows residents to register to vote on election day.

Publicly financed elections

Amends campaign spending laws to provide alternative public funding for candidates seeking office in the Legislature who voluntarily abide by certain contribution and expenditure limits. The program would begin when $3 million are collected in the Hawai'i election campaign fund.

Electronic procurement

Allows purchase of goods and services, and awarding of construction contracts, through an online electronic procurement system.

Gift disclosures

Lowers the gift disclosure threshold from $200 to $100, above which a legislator, government employee, spouse, or child of a legislator may be required to file a gift disclosure statement.

Close elections

Requires the chief elections officer or county clerk to order a recount of all ballots cast for an office when there exists a vote difference of one-eighth of one percent or less.

Sunshine law

Would exempt county councils from the open-meetings law.

Unadjudicated fines to counties

Gives money collected from uncontested traffic fines and forfeitures to the counties who are charged with providing the police and attorneys who prosecute the violations.

Merging LUC and OSP with DLNR

Merges the Land Use Commission and the Office of State Planning with the Department of Land and Natural Resources.