State House’s GOP caucus floats bills to stoke business

Six of Hawaii’s seven House Republicans gathered Monday to introduce their latest caucus legislative package, a collection of bills touted as ways to encourage business across the islands, provide tax relief and better scrutinize the state’s energy regulators.

The package covers a range of issues, but it remains to be seen whether any of the proposals has a realistic chance of advancing out of the Demo­cratic-controlled chamber this session.

Their most practical shot might be for those ideas to be lumped into other bills advanced by the majority caucus.

"It’s not just what we’re talking about in bills," Minority Leader Beth Fuku­moto Chang (R, Mili­lani- Mili­lani Mauka-Wai­pio Acres) said Monday while flanked by her Republican colleagues in the House gallery. "It’s priorities that we’re going to outline on the floor, things that we say in committee. This whole caucus has had a decent success rate of being able to get our ideas heard and get our ideas included."

Some of the top priorities outlined by state Republicans include resurrecting a ferry system to replace the short-lived Superferry (HB 415); spurring businesses around future Oahu rail stations (HB 1209); providing tax exemptions for food and medical services (HB 419); and creating income tax credits for those who store solar energy independently and thus ease the burden on the electrical grid (HB 421).

A state House GOP measure requiring financial and managerial audits of the Public Utilities Commission (HB 420) is slated for a hearing Wednesday before the Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee. Rep. Cynthia Thielen (R, Kai­lua-Kane­ohe) said the measure is an effort to try to see why many of the state’s renewable energy initiatives are being held up.

Regarding HB 420, Chang said, "We often have these minority press conferences and we say, ‘Oh, we’re probably going to get it heard.’ But we are getting it heard." She added, "We already know that, so I think that’s great."

Nonetheless, after the Republicans’ briefing, House Majority Leader Scott Saiki said his Demo­cratic colleagues in the chamber are working on their own measure to provide increased scrutiny of the PUC, particularly in light of the pending NextEra purchase of Hawaiian Electric Industries.

The Republicans are proposing measures to reduce vehicle registration fees and exempt personal residences from automatic historic preservation review.

The Democrats, meanwhile, are working on their own bills to give residents more flexibility on those two issues, Saiki said. The majority caucus bill would require vehicle registrations fees be paid every two years instead of one, he said.

The Republican minority caucus further emphasized Monday their push for a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds’ supermajority approval on any new tax increases. It’s a proposal they’ve introduced in past sessions as well, but they’re now touting it in connection to discussions already taking place on whether to lift the sunset on Oahu’s 0.5 percent surcharge on the general excise tax to fund rail.

Rep. Bob McDermott (R, Ewa Beach-Iroquois Point) was the only House Republican not to attend Monday’s unveiling of the bill package.

"I think there are a number of proposals that we’re suggesting you’re going to see in other members’ bills," Chang said Monday.

Rep. Gene Ward (R, Kalama Valley-Queen’s Gate-Hawaii Kai) said he’s spoken with several of his House Demo­cratic colleagues on HB 421, the proposal for tax credits on energy storage.

"As Ronald Reagan said, as long as you don’t mind who gets the credit, you can do a lot of things," Ward said. "I can’t name any names, though. They have rejected a lot of good ideas in this Capitol before. This is one whose time has come."