MEDIA RELEASE

The Hawaii State Senate Minority has released its 2012 Legislative Priority Package.

Mission: It is the Mission of the Senate Minority To Improve Hawaii’s Business and Economic Climate, Guarantee Government Transparency and Fiscal Integrity, Extend Broader Sustainability With Maximum Personal Choice, and Enhance Every Resident’s Standard of Living.

I. Creation of Private Sector Jobs and Improving Hawaii’s Business and Investment Climate Is the Single Most Important Legislative Priority.

The Senate Minority believes the best way to create jobs is to listen to what the private employer job creators tell us what we need to do. Overwhelmingly, they tell us the burden last year’s Act 105 caused with the “temporary” suspension of GET tax exemptions because of pyramiding. Hardest hit are subcontractors, sub lessees, airlines and transportation businesses and local firms doing business with the Federal Government. We urge re-instatement of those exemptions.

We will support long overdue tort reform, UI exemption for family owned corporations and restrictions on government use of eminent domain, Right to Work legislation, and allowing publication of state legal notices in on line media.

II. Family Security

The Senate Minority strongly supports Hawaii family security and advocates deregulation of the electric distribution monopoly (HECO) allowing for energy competition; a full GET tax exemption for home purchased food; conformity with the IRS for the value of personal exemptions; adoption of Caylee’s Law, making it a felony for a parent or legal guardian not to report a missing child; repeal of the state beverage container tax with total county curbside recycling, and urging a Congressional Hawaii exemption from the Jones Act to save families thousands of dollars in shipping and commodity costs annually.

III. Government Transparency & Reform

The Senate Minority believes government itself must raise the bar and provide more citizen access and transparency by example, including: considering holding Legislative Sessions every other (odd) year; requiring fiscal impact statements for government expenditures; adoption of model legislation for Truth in Government Accounting; advancing the due date for Annual Financial Disclosure for Elected Officials; ending state collection of union dues; implementation of statewide Initiative, Referendum and Recall; term limits for Legislators; repeal of the Commission on Salaries & automatic pay increases, and barring Unemployment Comp Benefits for Elected Officials.

The Senate Minority repeats its positive belief in Hawaii’s people and our state’s future and will work for these and other initiatives to provide Hawaii residents with A BETTER DAY.

— Find out more:
http://senateminority.wordpress.com/