Real policy progress now up to Ige

A raft of bills awaits Gov. David Ige’s consideration now that a productive session of Hawaii’s Legislature has adjourned. Lawmakers made significant progress in several areas and delivered comprehensive measures that deserve the governor’s signature, notably in the arena of public health. However, there also were legislative mistakes, notably regarding government transparency, that the governor should veto in the public interest.

Here are the Honolulu Star-Advertiser editorial board’s recommendations on some of the key measures awaiting a final decision by the governor.

Ige should sign into law:

» Senate Bill 1030, SD1, HD2, which raises the minimum age to purchase any tobacco product or electronic smoking device from 18 to 21.

Hawaii County paved the way with similar legislation, which will save lives by reducing the incidence of a deadly and addictive habit. Aligning the age limits for purchasing alcohol and tobacco products makes sense. Including electronic smoking devices is essential. The legislation wisely recognizes that skyrocketing use of electronic smoking devices by young people threatens to undo decades of successful anti-smoking efforts. Enactment is critical before marijuana products become even more readily available with the advent of medical marijuana dispensaries as soon as July 2016. E-cigarette devices are used not only to "vape" nicotine liquid, but also to use marijuana oil and other mind-altering substances.

Lawmakers did rightly pass a related bill to prohibit the use of electronic smoking devices in places where conventional smoking is prohibited. Ige has already signed it into law, and it becomes effective Jan. 1.

» House Bill 321, HD1, SD2, CD1, which establishes a long overdue regulated system of up to 16 medical-marijuana dispensaries for patients certified to use the drug as a medical treatment.

This bill barely survived — 15 years after the state first approved the use of medical marijuana without spelling out a way for patients to legally obtain the drug.

» HB 1075, HD2, SD2, CD1, which clears the way to begin negotiating the privatization of three state hospitals on Maui.

The governor’s signature here seems assured, given that he had a hand in the legislation and would be a chief broker of any eventual deal. This potential solution counts as a major achievement of the session, given the ongoing, serious budget woes of Hawaii’s public hospitals.

» HB 134, HD1, SD2, CD1, which allows Oahu’s county government to extend the half-percent general excise tax surcharge funding rail construction for five years past its original 2022 expiration date. It also allows neighbor island counties to impose a similar surcharge if they act by July 2016.

The governor should sign off on this necessary, limited solution to the $6 billion project’s budget shortfall. The rail-transit system, and the construction of affordable housing along its route, are vital to Oahu’s future.

» HB 500, HD1, SD1, CD1, which provides $500,000 to explore a land swap that would free up the Kalihi site of the aging, overcrowded Oahu Community Correctional Center for development of affordable housing along the rail route in urban Honolulu.

» SB519, SD2, HD3, CD1, which requires that online advertisements for vacation rentals include each unit’s address and transient accommodation tax license number.

This is the minimum first step required to begin to ensure that increasingly popular (and lucrative) alternative accommodations contribute to Hawaii’s tax base the way conventional hotels and motels do.

The governor should veto:

» HB 287, HD1, SD1, CD1 and SB 1208, SD1, HD1, both of which impede government transparency in an era when openness and accountability should be increasing, not decreasing.

The first measure would allow more public records to be withheld, on privacy grounds, and the latter would allow the board of the $13.9 billion Employees Retirement System to close more meetings to the public. Gov. Ige must reject these attempts to shut out the taxpayers from their rightful oversight.

Meanwhile, lawmakers were misguided in passing these onerous measures while killing bills that would have enhanced government accountability. Among the doomed bills: ones that would have required public agencies to report on discussions in secret "executive" sessions, granted news media greater access to emergency-management areas, and reinstated Hawaii’s once-lauded media shield law.

» HB 1366, SD2, CD1, which provides $500,000 to assess whether the state should purchase the downtown building, Alii Place, as office space for state workers. The state should focus on reducing its need for office space in urban Honolulu, including by basing more employees on Oahu’s west side, rather than exploring this expensive purchase, valued at $90 million.

CORRECTION: Lawmakers passed House Bill 940, HD1 that prohibits the use of electronic smoking devices in places where smoking is prohibited. An earlier version of this editorial,  Wednesday’s editorial on Page A11, and a bill list published Monday on Page B3 said that lawmakers failed to pass the measure, which Gov. David Ige signed into law as Act 19 and goes into effect on Jan. 1.