WASHINGTON — The past legislative year mixed victories and setbacks for Hawai'i's delegation, from approval of more than $1 billion in federal spending for the state to continued deadlock on the Native Hawaiian government bill.

Democrats took control of the House and Senate for the first time in a dozen years, only to see clashes develop over taxes, budgets and money for Iraq.

U.S. Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Mazie Hirono, both Democrats, said they were frustrated by Senate Republicans who blocked votes on House-passed bills that would have provided money for the Iraq war while also establishing troop withdrawal timelines.

A bill to create a future Native Hawaiian government also cleared the House but remained stalled in the Senate because of Republican objections.

Abercrombie, Hirono and Sen. Daniel K. Inouye cited the failure to pass the Native Hawaiian bill as one of their biggest disappointments this year. U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka said he remains committed to bringing the bill up for a Senate vote. (Inouye and Akaka are both Democrats.)

Abercrombie criticized President Bush for what he described as the president's lack of desire to compromise with Congress.

"He simply says, 'I won't do it,' threatens the veto and then, because of the Republican Party being bound to him like a sinking ship to an anchor, they all go down together" in failing to get legislation approved, he said.

Bush twice vetoed measures that would have expanded the State Children's Health Insurance Program, saying they were too expensive. The House failed to override those vetoes, ultimately sending Bush a watered-down version.

Congress did succeed in overturning one presidential veto — on a $23 billion water projects bill that authorizes dozens of Army Corps of Engineers projects.

The president also vetoed a bill that would have provided funding for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars because it included what he called "a rigid and artificial deadline for American troops to begin withdrawing from Iraq."

Hawai'i delegation members also pointed to legislative successes, including approval of a minimum-wage increase from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 an hour over two years, and an energy policy that raises automobile fuel economy standards and encourages alternative energy development.

"It means weaning the country off its addiction to oil, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions to protect the environment, and giving motorists savings that can be put back into our domestic economy," Inouye said.

Another success was steering more than $1 billion in federal spending for programs and construction to Hawai'i this year, more than half for military construction.

"We moved to protect our troops by providing the funds for mine-resistant combat vehicles and we demonstrated our commitment to veterans by providing the largest increase ever in veterans' healthcare funding," Inouye said.

Akaka said he's glad Congress also approved a bill to improve care for wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Our wounded warriors, who have sacrificed so much for this nation, will benefit from provisions in this bill that will expand treatment and research for the signature injuries of these wars, traumatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder, and traumatic eye injuries," he said.

Hirono said the House helped expand the country's commitment to the middle class, children and energy self-sufficiency.

"If you look at all the bills that we have passed in the House, I think it reflects our priorities," she said.

Delegation members said they won't give up working to tie Iraq war funding to troop withdrawal timelines. They also vowed to fight to improve pre-kindergarten education, and to expand veteran benefits for Filipinos who fought in the U.S. Army in World War II and make it easier for their children to obtain visas.

"It's important for people to know there are members of Congress who are fighting for them," Hirono said.

HOW HAWAI'I LAWMAKERS VOTED

Here's how Hawai'i's lawmakers voted on some key bills this year:

Bills that became law

Minimum-wage increase

Description: Boosted U.S. minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 over two years, the first raise in the minimum wage in a decade. It was one of the top priorities for Democrats upon gaining control of Congress this year.
Voting yes: Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i; Sen. Dan Akaka, D-Hawai'i; Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i; Rep. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawai'i
Voting no: None
Not voting: None

Student loan changes

Description: In response to growing concerns about student debt, Congress made several changes to federal student loan programs, the biggest of which is a cap on what low-income borrowers must pay back each month.
Hawai'i students graduating last year had an average debt of $11,758, the fifth lowest in the nation, according to the Project on Student Debt.
Voting yes: Inouye, Akaka, Abercrombie, Hirono
Voting no: None
Not voting: None

Ethics reform

Description: Lawmakers must disclose special project funding, called "earmarks," they seek to add to spending bills, identify lobbyists who raise $15,000 or more for a lawmaker within a six-month period through a process called bundling, and pay full price when they use private jets instead of just the equivalent of a first-class ticket, as was previously required. Former senators and high-ranking administration officials also must wait two years before lobbying Congress and House members one year. Lawmakers convicted of bribery or perjury will no longer be eligible for congressional pensions. Backers call this legislation one of the biggest ethics reforms in decades. Abercrombie was one of only eight House members who voted against the bill, saying it contained too many loopholes and did not limit political contributions and campaign expenditures.
Voting yes: Inouye, Akaka, Hirono
Voting no: Abercrombie
Not voting: None

Water projects

Description: The bill authorizes $23 billion in spending on water projects ranging from waterfront parks to new sewer lines. President Bush vetoed the bill, saying the measure "lacks fiscal discipline." Money in the bill isn't a sure thing, though. It still must be appropriated, an argument lawmakers made when voting to override the veto. It was the first override of a Bush veto.
Voting yes on original bill: Inouye, Akaka, Hirono
Voting no: None
Not voting: Abercrombie
Voting yes to override veto: Inouye, Akaka, Abercrombie, Hirono
Voting no: None
Not voting: None

FDA authority expansion

Description: Bill gives the Food and Drug Administration new powers to ensure the safety of prescription drugs in response to withdrawal of the painkiller Vioxx from the market three years ago. The bill renews for five years two programs that collect fees from drug and medical device manufacturers to help pay for the FDA to review products and gives the agency more power to police drug safety by requiring studies and disclosure.
Senate passed by unanimous consent.

In the House:
Voting yes: Abercrombie, Hirono
Voting no: None
Not voting: None

9/11 Commission recommendations

Description: The bill implemented many of the remaining 9/11 Commission recommendations, including more stringent screening of all air and sea cargo and shifting more federal money to high-risk states and cities.
Voting yes: Inouye, Akaka, Abercrombie, Hirono
Voting no: None
Not voting: None

Energy policy overhaul

Description: After stripping out a rollback of tax breaks for oil companies and a requirement that utilities get a portion of their power from renewable sources, Congress approved a bill raising fuel economy standards for automobiles and requiring billions more gallons of biofuels to be blended into gasoline over the next 15 years.

Hawai'i is heavily dependent on oil, which supplies three-quarters of the state's electrical generation. The state is heavily involved in researching and developing alternative energy sources.
Voting yes: Inouye, Akaka, Abercrombie, Hirono
Voting no: None
Not voting: None

Spending bills

Description: Congress passed in one $473.5 billion package most of the 12 annual spending bills that fund the government and local projects requested by lawmakers. The bill also included $11.2 billion in "emergency" spending and an additional $70 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan without a timetable for withdrawal of troops that Democrats had hoped to include. Although the bill contained about $845 million in federal funds for the state, Abercrombie and Hirono voted against it because the Iraq war funding was not tied to a timetable for troop withdrawals
Voting yes: Inouye, Akaka
Voting no: Abercrombie, Hirono
Not voting: None

Mortgage industry overhaul

Description: Congress temporarily changed the tax law to not count as taxable income from the years 2007-2009 mortgage debt forgiven through foreclosure, sale or debt restructuring. Congress is still working on other legislation to address the mortgage crisis.

Hawai'i had the seventh-lowest foreclosure rate in the nation, with one filing per 4,346 households in November. In October, it had the eighth-lowest rate nationally.
Senate passed by unanimous consent.
House approved by voice vote.

Tax fix

Description: Congress blocked the alternative minimum tax from affecting more than 20 million taxpayers next year. The AMT was created to stop the wealthy from avoiding paying any taxes, but has been increasingly hitting taxpayers lower on the income scale. Democrats hoped to offset the $50 billion cost of the bill with tax increases in other areas but could not get enough support from Republicans. More than 91,000 Hawai'i taxpayers will avoid being hit by the AMT next year because Congress approved a one-year adjustment of the tax.
Voting yes: Inouye, Akaka, Abercrombie, Hirono
Voting no: None
Not voting: None

Bills that failed

Immigration reform

Description: The legislation would have given about 12 million illegal immigrants a chance to gain legal status, provided they fulfilled numerous requirements. The bill also would have tightened border security and stiffened requirements for employers to ensure the legal status of their workers. Foes called the bill amnesty and helped defeat a Senate effort to move it up for a final vote. The issue represented a major defeat for President Bush, who made immigration reform one of his top domestic priorities. The House failed to take up the issue.

In the Senate:
Voting yes: Inouye, Akaka
Voting no: None
Not voting: None

Children's Health

Description: President Bush vetoed two attempts by Congress to give an extra $35 billion to the State Children's Health Insurance Program. The extra money in the $60 billion measure would have been financed by tobacco tax increases, including a 61-cent cigarette tax hike that would have raised the tax to $1 per pack. The House failed to override either of the president's vetoes. Eventually, lawmakers passed a scaled-down bill that extended the program for 18 months. Hirono said the program covers about 20,000 children in Hawai'i.
Voting yes on original bill: Inouye, Akaka, Abercrombie, Hirono
Voting no: None
Not voting: None.
Voting yes to override veto (Senate did not vote): Abercrombie, Hirono
Voting no: None
Not voting: None

Federal funding of stem cell research

Description: Bill would have allowed federal money to be used for work on embryos left over from fertility treatments and donated for stem cell research. Vetoed by President Bush.
Voting yes: Inouye, Akaka, Abercrombie, Hirono
Voting no: None
Not voting: None

— Gannett News Service

Reach Dennis Camire at dcamire@gns.gannett.com.

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