House committee split over pay raises
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
Members of the House Labor Committee appear split on a move by legislative leaders to reject pay raises for the governor, state department heads and judges.
The committee held a hearing last night on resolutions to kill pay raises for Gov. Linda Lingle and her Cabinet (House Concurrent Resolution 190) and for state judges (House Concurrent Resolution 189) and will vote on them Tuesday morning.
Republican Lingle and others have criticized Democrats for introducing the resolutions, saying that lawmakers have included in the budget money to pay for raises for workers covered by collective bargaining contracts. Democrats, meanwhile, have shot back that the raises recommended by the commission are higher than the employee union raises, which the governor has stated will have severe impacts on the budget.
House Labor Chairman Marcus Oshiro, D-39th (Wahiawa), co-introduced the resolutions along with House Speaker Calvin Say, D-20th (St. Louis Hts., Palolo, Wilhelmina Hts.). But Oshiro said after last night's hearing that he has not decided whether to advance the measures onto the House floor.
He said the recommendation issued last month by the Executive Salary Commission did not specify how much all the raises for the roughly 50 executives would cost, nor did it give any estimates on the cost of associated retirement and health benefits.
Oshiro said he would like to see some figures from the Department of Budget and Finance before the vote on Tuesday. Numbers issued by Say's office last night showed the executive salary raises would cost $404,254 this year and $470,269 next year while the judicial increases would cost $1.3 million annually beginning in 2006.
At least one Democrat and one Republican on the committee appear ready to reject the resolutions. Rep. Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa) said he believes department heads and judges deserve more than what is being recommended by the commission. Rep. Brian Blundell, R-10th (W. Maui), noted that department heads have received no raises in 14 years.
Advertiser staff writer Lynda Arakawa contributed to this report. Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly identified the committee that will vote on two measures calling for the Legislature to reject pay raises.
