1982 Legislature Convenes to Confront Budget Woes

Every Sunday, “Back in the Day” looks at an article that ran on this date in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The items are verbatim, so don’t blame us today for yesteryear’s bad grammar.

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The 1982 Hawaii Legislature, facing economic conditions ominous and dreary as today’s weather, opened at the State Capitol this morning.

The opening-day festivities got off to a slow start this morning, dampened by the thundershowers which may have reduced the number of people who usually journey down to the State Capitol every third Wednesday in January to listen to the top-notch Waikiki entertainers and attend the elaborate parties laid out by the 76 lawmakers.

For at least today all legislative activities came to a halt as song, dancing, parties, food and drink were the main items on the lawmakers’ agenda. Flower arrangements of all sizes and assortments filled lawmakers’ desk in both the Senate and House chambers.

However, the only legislative business conducted today was in the speeches given by the politicians as they rattled off their list of concerns to an audience which included the governor, his cabinet, and other Island dignitaries.

The state of Hawaii’s economy, which will probably be the focal point of Gov. George Ariyoshi’s annual address to both houses of the Legislature Monday, also served as the pivotal point of the speeches given by House Speaker Henry Peters and Senate President Richard S.H. Wong.

Both Peters, D-20th Dist. (Waianae-Ewa Beach), and Wong, D-5th Dis. (West Honolulu), referred to what Wong described, in his prepared remarks, as "a gamut of difficult budgetary concerns."

"Because of drastic cutbacks in federal funds, many state agencies and programs will have to curtail their activities — cutting back operations, consolidating programs, restricting services, reducting staffs," Wong said.

"Many community organizations — expecially in the human services area — will be greatly affected. The process of curtailment for these public and private agencies will be a difficult and even painful one … and I am personally greatly distressed by the situation."

House and Senate Democratic legislative leaders as well as Senate Republican Leader Wadsworth Yee indicated that the Legislature, more so this year than in past sessions, must do some difficult juggling of priorities and concerns in light of President Reagan’s economic policies.