Gas price cap delay approved

By Lynda Arakawa and Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Lawmakers were on their way toward giving final approval to dozens of bills yesterday, ranging from fine-tuning the bottle bill law that takes effect Jan. 1 to delaying launch of a gasoline price cap program.

The marathon sessions in the House and Senate are among the Legislature's final actions before it goes into recess today and tomorrow and wraps up its work for the year on Thursday. The bills passed yesterday were sent to Gov. Linda Lingle.

Both houses passed Senate Bill 3193 to delay the start of the gasoline price cap law from July 1 this year to September 2005. The Public Utilities Commission and the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, which would carry out the law, have said the July 1 deadline can't be met. The bill also amends the law by basing the price-cap formula on spot prices in several markets across the nation rather than only on the West Coast, and expands the caps to cover all gasoline grades except diesel.

The Senate and the House paved the way for the 2002 bottle bill law to take effect Jan. 1 next year. The program assesses wholesalers one-half cent per glass, plastic or aluminum container to build up a reserve fund for a redemption program. That fee will jump to 1 cent on Oct. 1, and retailers would be allowed to charge 6 cents per container beginning Nov. 1.

Starting Jan. 1, consumers can begin redeeming the containers for a 5-cent return, with the remaining penny to cover the costs of the program. Retailers required to set up redemption centers would have until July next year to do so.

The House approved a campaign spending reform measure, Senate Bill 459, which was praised as a first step by Democrats but panned by Republicans for not going far enough. The Senate will vote on the measure Thursday.

One measure killed yesterday would have allowed the state Office of Information Practices to declare someone a "vexatious requester" and limit that person's requests for certain government documents. The Senate approved a bill, but the House rejected it, killing it for the session.

Other bills passed yesterday include:

• Senate Bill 17, which would establish a junior and regular kindergarten. Starting in 2006, children who turn 5 after Aug. 1 would attend junior kindergarten rather than kindergarten, but there would be some flexibility to move the children into whichever level is most appropriate.
• Senate Bill 2425, appropriating an additional $2.5 million to New Century Charter Schools to reflect an increase in enrollment and an updated per student allocation.
• House Bill 2883, establishing a monthly surcharge of 66 cents on cellular phones that will go toward a wireless enhanced 911 system to be set up by wireless providers and county public safety agencies.
• House Bill 680, which requires ethics training for elected state officials and executive department heads and deputies.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070. Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.