Two years after she vetoed the creation of a sustainability task force promoted by legislative Democrats, Gov. Linda Lingle could reject another bill that would fund the work group.

The Republican governor's veto could meet the same fate as the one in 2005 — an override if the state Legislature responds by meeting today in a special one-day session.

The Hawai'i 2050 task force has been working for two years to come up with a plan that will guide the state into the future. To date, the group has held numerous community meetings, started work on a draft report and is in the process of conducting a broad public opinion survey that will help garner more community input.

Lingle originally opposed the task force because she felt a state plan would be more appropriately developed by her administration than the state auditor reporting to the Legislature. Now that the process is under way, she said, the task force has taken too long to finish a report that has already cost almost $1 million.

The governor will release her final vetoes of the year today, and the Legislature will have the option of overriding the vetoes with two-thirds' votes.

Lingle had identified 33 bills for potential vetoes but dropped two from her list yesterday. One, which she signed, allows the University of Hawai'i to use money from the state's tobacco settlement fund to pay for operating expenses at its medical school, rather than just debt service. UH administrators had told the governor they wanted the money to support medical research and to help the medical school eventually become self-sustaining.

The other bill designates the Friends of 'Iolani Palace as a state museum of monarchy history and exempts the nonprofit from state reporting standards for receiving public funds. Lingle, who will allow the bill to become law without her signature, asked lawmakers to amend the bill to either require the nonprofit to follow the reporting standards or create other oversight.

State House and Senate Democratic leaders have spoken confidently about their ability to override Lingle's vetoes, but while they may have the numbers in theory, override votes can be dicey and can fail with even a few defections. Backroom leadership differences among Democrats also could influence the votes, as could temporary alliances with minority Republicans.

State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha), has boldly said that every Lingle veto could be subject to an override, and other leaders from both chambers have predicted they have the votes to override all but a handful of the bills on her list.

LAST-MINUTE LOBBYING

Yesterday, advocates for and against some of the targeted bills contacted lawmakers and made public appeals.

Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle backed Lingle's veto threat of a bill that would allow people who have had their driver's licenses revoked for life for drunken or drugged driving apply for new licenses after 10 years.

People would have to have no arrests or convictions for driving without licenses during that time and show they are not dependent on alcohol or drugs. State lawmakers said the bill recognizes redemption through sobriety, and several churches supported the bill.

Lingle has said that lifelong license revocations are meant to protect motorists and pedestrians from chronic drunken drivers. People are subject to lifelong license revocations after being convicted of drunken or drugged driving four times in 10 years.

Carlisle, speaking at a news conference at his office yesterday afternoon, said about 1,100 people have had their licenses revoked for life and could be eligible for new licenses under the bill.

"If you're talking about drinking and driving four times in 10 years, then there should be no redemption, in my opinion," Carlisle said.

At the state Capitol, Michael Morrisey, the co-founder of Baby Safe Haven New England, was among the activists who have been contacting lawmakers about a bill that would grant immunity from prosecution for people who leave newborn babies at hospitals or police and fire stations within 72 hours after birth.

Lingle has said the bill does not protect the rights of both parents or extended family members and could muddle genealogy. But Morrisey said 47 other states have similar laws that save the lives of newborns.

AARP Hawai'i, meanwhile, announced plans for a rally this morning at the Capitol with other elder activists in favor of a bill that would provide $3 million over two years to improve pedestrian safety.

Lingle has said she supports the idea but does not want the money to come from the state highway fund, which can be used to attract federal matching money for highway projects. The governor does not have to release the money even if the bill becomes law.

'THE PEOPLE'S PLAN'

Unlike the pedestrian safety bill and some of the other potential vetoes that could face overrides today, the governor does not have the discretion to withhold the sustainability task force money if the Legislature forces the bill into law. As the task force chairman, state Sen. Russell Kokubun, D-2nd (S. Hilo, Puna, Ka'u) explained, the additional $850,000 would be a legislative expenditure that would go to the auditor.

"This is really the people's plan, and the Legislature is really acting as the convener and facilitator for this," Kokubun said.

State Auditor Marion Higa said the additional $850,000 is critical if the plan is to be finished. The Hawai'i Institute for Public Affairs has been hired to prepare the report, and more work is needed.

Although the governor has said preparation of the report is outside the scope of the auditor's duties, Higa says it is appropriate for her office to be in charge of the report. Unlike in other states, the Legislature has few other options for any hard, analytical work, she said.

As it stands, members of the Republican administration sit on the task force, as do members of the minority party from both legislative chambers. The task force also includes representatives from the business community, the military, environmental groups and each county.

This broad membership is to avoid repetition of a state plan developed under Gov. George Ariyoshi's administration in the 1970s, which generated a great deal of enthusiasm but later was seen as a top-down effort.

"We're making sure that the (new) recommendations include some mechanism for keeping people on track," Higa said. "That might help us this time around not to make the same mistakes."

State House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa), said his caucus is interested in further funding the task force.

Still ahead is a statewide summit in September, where the draft sustainability plan will be unveiled for further community input, and the deadline for the final report is set for December.

Without an override, Caldwell says, the task force would have to wrap up its report without the extra input. "It would be, I think, a waste of money already well spent," he said.

Reach Treena Shapiro at tshapiro@honoluluadvertiser.com and Derrick DePledge at ddepledge@honoluluadvertiser.com.