Senate approves changing way regents chosen

Advertiser Staff and News Services

The Senate yesterday approved a proposed constitutional amendment to change the way the University of Hawai'i regents are selected, a measure that the present Board of Regents criticized in their most recent meeting last week.

The proposed constitutional amendment would require the governor to select regents from a list provided by a candidate advisory council, which would screen and nominate potential candidates.

The UH regents currently are appointed by the governor, and subject to confirmation by the state Senate.

While the current Board of Regents did not object to establishment of such a council, they said the governor should not be held to a final choice from that list.

"Only four states have an advisory committee," said regent chairwoman Patricia Lee. "And in California (which has one), the governor is not obliged to accept them after a screening committee makes recommendations.

"In 40 states, the governor appoints and the confirmation process provides the checks and balances."

The measure, which would be placed before voters on the 2006 ballot, had already passed the House.

The governor does not have veto power over proposed amendments.

Regents objected most strenuously to a companion bill that is in conference committee. That bill would create the advisory council and define its membership from specific groups.

Regents vice chairwoman Kitty Lagareta said the way the bill is written would add more politics to the system.

"We will go down as one of the more regressive boards in the nation if we go with this structure," Lagareta said.

Under the companion bill, one member each of the advisory committee would be chosen by the Senate president, House speaker, governor, UH Faculty Senate, Manoa student senate, UH faculty union, Hawai'i Business Roundtable, Hawai'i Medical Association, Hawai'i State Bar Association, UH Foundation and the UH Alumni Association.

In testimony Lee spoke out strongly against offering particular "interest groups" membership on the proposed advisory council.

The Senate and House still need to work out their differences on this companion bill.

While proponents of the proposed constitutional amendment say it will take politics out of the process, Republican lawmakers have called it another attempt to strip the authority of Gov. Linda Lingle.

Sen. Bob Hogue, R-24th (Kailua, Kane'ohe), challenged the way the advisory council members would be selected, including appointments by the Senate president and House speaker.

"In our effort to depoliticize the process we have over-politicized the process," Hogue said.

Senate Higher Education Committee Chairman Clayton Hee, D-23rd (Kane'ohe, Ka-huku), said those concerns are among the issues slated to be worked out by the conference committee looking at the companion bill.

Staff writer Beverly Creamer contributed to this report. Reach her at 525-8013 or bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.