Lingle sitting on budget proposal

By B.J. Reyes
Associated Press

Lawmakers and Gov. Linda Lingle's Cabinet members continued sparring over the state budget yesterday with still no indication from the governor on what she intends to do with the $3.8 billion supplemental budget sitting on her desk.

Days after a contentious hearing before the Senate's money committee, state Budget Director Georgina Kawamura and other members of the administration went before the House Finance Committee to offer details on a revised financial plan from Lingle.

Although the budget already has passed out of the Democrat-controlled Legislature, lawmakers have said they still could look for other measures that could be used to adjust the bill to address administration concerns.

Lingle, meanwhile, continues to evaluate the financial proposal. She has until April 30 to decide whether to approve it or veto all or portions of the bill.

Finance Chairman Dwight Takamine set the tone at yesterday's hearing by preventing Kawamura from reading the testimony she had planned to present.

Takamine, D-1st (N. Hilo, Hamakua, N. Kohala), over the objections of Republican committee members and Kawamura, noted that the committee had received Kawamura's testimony, and said that rather than have her present it, he wanted to instead proceed straight to questioning.

Kawamura said she was "quite disappointed" at not being able to make her presentation, but nonetheless was able to repeat the administration's key objection: that the state can't afford many of the items, including the 7.8 percent pay increase recently awarded in binding arbitration to white-collar state employees.

Questioning focused mainly on the administration's confidence in future revenue sources being used for calculating Lingle's revised plan, including refinancing and restructuring of debt and increased tax collections.

Kawamura and Tax Director Kurt Kawafuchi noted that the Department of Taxation has been aggressive in collecting tax delinquencies and that collections had increased to $148 million in fiscal year 2003 from $113 million the previous year.

"They have been very successful and we are recognizing that success," Kawamura said.

The hearing became testy over issues including the raiding of special funds, and Takamine interrupted Kawamura and committee members a few times to ask that the debate, "not be reduced to 'my plan is better than your plan,' " to try to foster more constructive debate.