Legislature on solid, safe path

There’s nothing quite like an election year to motivate politicians to get to work.

So it’s reassuring, although not unexpected, to see Hawaii lawmakers make real progress on important issues that were flummoxing them this time last year.

Roughly halfway through the legislative session, the House and Senate have traded bills — meeting that crucial crossover deadline — that would increase the minimum wage, lift the cap on the hotel-room tax revenue that flows to the counties and finance preschool for lower-income children.

House and Senate leaders seem set on resolving the minimum-wage issue as soon as they can — a laudable development that is long overdue, given that Hawaii’s base rate for low-skilled workers has not risen since 2007.

Both chambers are in the ballpark for the new wage — a gradual increase from $7.25 to about $10 an hour — but disagreements remain over how much to increase the existing tip credit for businesses whose employees also collect gratuities from customers.

The tip credit is a major break for some employers, allowing businesses to pay tipped workers less than the minimum wage; businesses that don’t employ tipped workers don’t get that financial advantage. Lawmakers should keep that in mind as they wrangle over the size of the tip credit: Keep the increase reasonable, for the sake of the workers — who should be able to count on a decent minimum — and the non-tip employers.

We’re also encouraged that lawmakers have advanced bills supporting Gov. Neil Abercrombie’s scaled-back preschool initiative. One measure would build an early-childhood education program if Hawaii voters approve a constitutional amendment in November allowing public money to fund private preschools.

Approving this amendment is crucial to improving educational opportunities for young children, so we hope the current bill and the future amendment pass.

Other live bills would fund preschool for low-income children next school year at a limited number of public schools and pay for family-centered education programs.

All these preschool measures work in tandem, because Hawaii has the capacity to offer high-quality preschool statewide only by combining forces, and committing to enrollment in both private and public programs.

Meanwhile, we’re relieved that key lawmakers recognize the financial pressure local governments are under, and seem ready to lift the cap on hotel-room tax revenue that flows to the counties.

The cap was imposed to help the state government weather the recession, but the county governments expend funds that benefit tourists, too — such as for roads, parks and public safety.

Under a bill the House has moved to the Senate, counties would get 44.8 percent of the hotel room tax revenue collected by the state, estimated to exceed $93 million a year to share among the local governments.

The $12 billion state budget looms large over any bill that has a fiscal impact, of course, and a downgrade in the state’s revenue forecast could affect the tone for the remainder of the session. But so far, lawmakers seem to be taking a suitable course, funding necessary initiatives while keeping an eye on the bottom line.

Not all the legislative developments are positive. We are especially dismayed that lawmakers have advanced a bill that would allow the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs to develop residential high-rises on the makai side of Ala Moana Boulevard in Kakaako. This is a clear betrayal of the will of the people, who have fought mightily over the years to restrict residential development in that oceanfront area and were successful in getting a state law passed that accomplished just that.

Granting OHA the exemption it seeks, no matter how noble the state agency’s intent, opens the door for every other landowner on the makai side to seek a similar exemption.

Legislators should respect the public’s trust, and keep the restrictions intact.