Each week Editorial and Opinion Editor Jeanne Mariani-Belding hosts The Hot Seat, our opinion-page blog that brings in elected leaders and people in the news and lets you ask the questions during a live online chat.

On The Hot Seat last week was Rep. Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa), who serves as House majority leader in the state Legislature. Here is an excerpt from that Hot Seat session. To see the full conversation, go to The Hot Seat blog at www.honoluluadvertiser.com/opinion and click on "The Hot Seat." (Names of questioners are screen names given during our online chat.)

Kyle: What are the top three things the Democrats hope to accomplish this session? Last session was not very impressive from this taxpayer's viewpoint. Look at the homeless in Wai'anae, our healthcare is still a big problem and we are taxed to the max.

Rep. Kirk Caldwell: We hope to pass a strong environmental invasive species package. After the Superferry, we've heard loud and clear from the people we represent that more needs to be done to preserve the special qualities that make Hawai'i an exceptional place for all of us to live.

Along these lines, we have plans for joint federal, state invasive species facilities at the airports and the harbors. And we also are going to increase funding for actions to prevent invasive species from entering our state.

We also have a strong alternative energy joint House-Senate majority package.

The third is a strong healthcare package that encourages physicians, nurses and other providers to remain in our rural communities where the need is critical.

Ni: Once again, Hawai'i's gas prices are the highest in the nation. Can the Legislature ever address this issue adequately?

Caldwell: We need to get better information from the Public Utility Commission's Petroleum Industry Monitoring Program so we can see where the inefficiencies lie in the system. In the long run, we need to wean ourselves from our addiction on oil. For a state with so many alternative energy resources, we are still 94 percent dependent on fossil fuel. We need to do much better. Our House and Senate packages have progressive steps for doing that.

Ni: How long will you keep blaming the PUC? Either give them enough tools to do the job, or axe them and go another route. Do you not agree that this has been dragging on too long?

Caldwell: I'm not blaming the PUC. They could use more resources, and we want to work with them. I have met with the commission chairman to talk about it.

S.N. Reish: The Legislature just increased the minimum wage last year, and I was wondering why they are trying to raise it again so soon?

Caldwell: I proposed the increase in the minimum wage because I don't think that people can support themselves in Hawai'i on $7.25 an hour. For every year that we don't increase the minimum wage, the cost of housing, a gallon of gas, groceries, or a meal out at a restaurant will all go up. The poorest workers are losing ground. Since 1970, the real value of the minimum wage has declined by 14 percent.

EGHama: I'm concerned about coqui frogs, brown tree snakes, fire ants and other dangerous invaders taking hold in Hawai'i. What has the Legislature done to prevent these dangerous invasive species from getting into our islands?

Caldwell: This is a big priority for the Legislature this year. Our joint majority package includes an important bill to address this issue. We started early preparing this legislation and worked with our colleagues in the Senate to make sure we're all in agreement on how to best mitigate invasive species from entering our islands.

It's not an exaggeration to say that this could be one of the most important bills we pass this session. If the varroa destructor mites spread from O'ahu to the Neighbor Islands, they can damage our honeybee populations that help pollinate crops. If brown tree snakes ever reach our Islands, it would be catastrophic. On Guam they have caused the extinction of many species of native birds, and in some places there are as many as 15,000 snakes per square mile.

Preserve Turtle Bay: Please share how you think the state Legislature can help the supporters of the Turtle Bay preservation effort.

As you know, the community, the governor, and the Legislature have no intention of buying and operating the Turtle Bay resort itself, but rather are working on viable alternatives to preserve the undeveloped surrounding natural areas (like Kawela Bay) while also supporting the existing hotel operations.

The current resort facilities provide valuable jobs to area residents, so finding solutions now, while the property is being foreclosed, is essential.

Also, we know that the undeveloped areas surrounding the existing resort are assessed at a value close to $30 million.

With the benefit of a variety of funding sources and partnerships don't you think that will be much more achievable than some of the figures you were quoting?

Surely you see the value in helping protect the taxpayers from the costs the state and county would have to bear to mitigate the traffic and infrastructure problems that the previously proposed five new resorts would have added.

Caldwell: We all share the dream of preserving the beautiful lands around Kawela Bay.

No one has cost figures, which is part of the problem, but I think your figures are very low. The governor should have done real spade work on what is involved before floating the idea.

I will support a creative, well-grounded approach to preserve the land. But really, the governor should have done her homework before creating expectations that we may not be able to meet.

Bill: Is public funding for candidates on the agenda this year? As you know, money buys influence and there are a lot of local politicians being influenced by special interest groups out there.

Caldwell: I'm a strong supporter of publicly financed campaigns and have been since I was elected in 2003. The only way to really bring about campaign finance reform is to get private contributions out of the system. We did last session move a bill out of the House that would fund County Council races with funds held by the Campaign Spending Commission as a trial. It remains in the Senate and can still be acted on this session.

Mark: Hawai'i law (Chapter 343) requires an environmental assessment for just about any action on state lands. The governor came in and exempted the Superferry to allow them to survive financially. Now the state Department of Transportation says it can't approve any water meters, driveways or power lines on the edges of all state roads, anywhere in the state, because they require EA's if the land is zoned for more than two homes. Further, the DOT says they won't accept an EA if one is done, due to Chapter 343. Small landowners like me can't build a house and I might have to sell my land.

Bill 2808 would change this — do you support it or not and why?

Caldwell: This is a concern, and several bills have been introduced in the House on whether an EA must first be obtained prior to a project touching a state highway or road. Our concern is that the administration may be taking Supreme Court opinions issued prior to the Superferry decision to the extreme, and thereby adversely impacting construction projects in the state at the very time we see a slowdown in our economy.

Since the administration seems to be unwilling to modify its interpretation of the decisions or deal with it through rule-making, the Legislature may need to clarify the law, and that process is currently under way.

Honestly, my preference would be some good rule-making by the state administration.

Guy Belegaud: Why in the world are you introducing HB 2455, which would remove the $1,000 cap on campaign donations for major corporations?

Isn't it a return to the old days of dubious money, lavish galas and exotic resort vacations that give again that sense of dirty politics to "We, the people."

That will allow ... lobbyists to knock at your door any time with a check and keep the small guy in the hallway at the Capitol on a waiting list.

Your bill is just wrong and should be killed right away.

Caldwell: This legislation is not intended to increase the limits for donations, but to clarify the stricter limits we put into law in 2005. The Campaign Spending Commission has interpreted that law as an aggregate cap of $1,000 for all contributions made by a political action committee funded by a corporation, while the state attorney general has interpreted the cap to be the limits already set for House candidates which is $1,000 for the primary election and $1,000 for the general election. The Circuit Court recently ruled on a case and has enjoined the Campaign Spending Commission from enforcing their interpretation of the law.

While we all would like to restrict the flow of money into the campaign process through efforts such as publicly funded campaigns, we must also be sensitive to imposing limits that restrict dialog and negatively impact political expression that is protected under the First Amendment. So we need to clarify the law so that we are all clear on the rules.

Nanakuli Boy: I think that a lot of our social problems stem from our substandard public schools. I am an advocate of No Child Left Behind policy, because it established quality assurance from the school teachers/administration. Of course the upper class in the state can send their children to private schools, but the lower class is subjected to public education. What if anything do you think can be done to improve our public schools?

Caldwell: One good way to start is to allow Act 51, which was passed in 2004, to work. Under this law, money would be given to each school in our state based on the needs of each child in that school, and the schools would be given the power to spend those funds independently.

One size does not fit all, and our schools must be empowered to address the needs of the children directly.

Let me add there are a lot of good things happening in the schools. There is an army of dedicated teachers and administrators. Act 51 allows them to do their jobs. Let's step out of the way and let it work.

Kapolei Resident: It appears the recycling test program is going well. It also appears that now is the time to expand the recycling program state-wide or at least islandwide. Can we expect to see more mandatory recycling soon?

Caldwell: I've put in bills in the past to mandate curbside recycling throughout the state. These bills have been defeated because it's a county home-rule issue. I will continue to consider all ways to encourage further recycling of our waste. For example, this session we have legislation that is part of our majority package that facilitates the recycling of our electronic waste which can be highly toxic.

Lisa: Do you support rail transit? And if so why?

Caldwell: Yes, I support rail transit. First, we cannot afford to build another highway or freeway on this island. Second, we've got to reduce our use of gasoline for transportation. In the end, one of the responsibilities of government is to provide people with alternatives, and one of them is to provide them with travel choices other than highways and roads.

Norm: When you discuss alternative energy production, it is crucial that you use power system experts to lend a bit of sanity to what can be done, what should be done, and not price energy out of reach. Renewable energy, under existing laws, is not necessarily reliable or cost effective. It can be done, but what will be the cost?

Caldwell: Renewable energy is a very high priority for our state because we are at the far end of a long energy supply line. At the same time, cost and reliability of the power are important issues, and we're looking for the right balance. We've got a great package of bills this session dealing with the complex issue of bringing Hawai'i reliable and renewable energy.

Bill Punini Prescott: Regarding schools in disadvantaged areas: The kids are struggling and need help. A major contributing problem is that their first and most important teacher has no education regarding their child's need for intellectual stimulation, which begins at birth. How do feel about educating our future parents in high school on parenting responsibilities?

Caldwell: This reminds me of a line from a movie that goes: "You need a license to fish, but you don't need a license to be a parent."

Seriously, this is a major social problem. Programs like HeadStart emphasize the importance of parental involvement in the education of the child, and we try to do that in the public schools as well.

Your proposal has merit. There are programs across the country that do this and I would be open to looking at them.

Scott Alonso: What will the House and the Legislature do to address the backlog of maintenance at the University of Hawai'i and the rise of tuition?

Caldwell: The Legislature is approaching this from several angles this session. One bill is a House majority package bill that sets aside $50 million each year through 2014 to be used for repair and maintenance for the entire University of Hawai'i system. Another bill appropriates $150 million for specific repair and maintenance at UH.