Gov. Linda Lingle has made it clear that the purse strings are going to be pulled pretty tight as Hawai'i struggles through a period of lower tax revenues and a stagnant economy. It's been evident in the appropriations that aren't being released, and now in the new bills that may not become law.

Fiscal prudence is absolutely essential in the state executive office, but it shouldn't mean that efforts to push the state toward a better course must come to a halt.

To her credit, Lingle last week signaled to proponents of publicly financed campaigns that a "clean elections" pilot project in the Big Island County Council race will have clear sailing. And she's allowing incentives for farmers to be enacted, despite worries about the tight state budget.

But there are other initiatives still sitting on the chopping block that shouldn't be. Some involve relatively little money; some do require a sizeable investment at some point but not immediately and should be allowed past the starting gate so necessary studies and organizational work can begin.

Here are a few the governor should take off her possible veto list :

• Senate Bill 2878 would start the wheels rolling on a "Keiki First Steps" 10-year initiative aimed at bringing early education within reach of all Hawai'i children.

Proponents say its estimated cost over the decade, totalling $170 million, would include existing funds and untapped federal money. They rightly argue that the state share could be adjusted and private partners could be found to compensate.

But Hawai'i won't even qualify to seek some new federal dollars unless the overseeing Early Learning Council is created, which is what SB 2878 enables.

• Similarly, House Bill 2519 would assign a working group to evaluate different incentives to be used to enlist doctors in a "Hawai'i Health Corps," a medical workforce committed to practice in rural areas. Choosing the most cost-effective incentives — tax breaks, medical school loan forgiveness among them — is key, but that will never happen without this measure to kickstart the conversation.

• SB 2542 actually would appropriate $1 million in critical supplemental Medicaid funds for the uninsured, whose needs are only going to intensify in times of economic strain. And it helps community health centers and rural health clinics to stay financially afloat. These facilities are crucial to the state's more remote communities, which are underserved as it is.

• SB 156 would let voters remain permanently on the absentee voting rolls rather than reapplying every two years as they now do. It sets aside $35,000 as the required state funds to qualify Hawai'i for $575,000 in federal funds for the balloting.

There are provisions to delete voters who die, become disqualified or don't cast ballots, but the governor is concerned this is insufficient. Still, such revisions would be minor and could be accomplished in the next legislative session.

What's more important is that the state take this step to improve public participation in the political process.

• Finally, Lingle is contemplating a veto of HB 2843, which would assess an inspection fee on freight passing through air and sea ports in order to finance better inspections for invasive species. Lingle is wary of adding costs for consumers, but the fee, 50 cents per 1,000 pounds of freight, would be negligible compared to fuel surcharges.

Considering the far greater cost of pests, such as the brown tree snake, proliferating in the Islands, this seems a wise provision.

In many cases, the governor has good cause to worry about legislation that creates unfunded mandates or duplicates government services, wasting state money. But in these instances, she should take care that the state not lose ground in providing the services the public needs.