Home is where the tax exemption is

It is a basic rule that Hawaii legislators live in the districts they are elected to represent. Sen. Brickwood Galuteria is the second state lawmaker in recent years to be called on this rule (Rep. Calvin Say is the other), and his explanation for claiming an owner-occupant tax exemption for a home he owns outside his district is less than compelling.

Galuteria says he simply forgot to stop claiming the tax break on the family home he owns in Palolo, where his grandchildren now reside, after he moved into a one-bedroom apartment in Kakaako with his wife and mother in 2007. The city is calculating the amount of back taxes he owes. Harder to gauge at the moment is the loss of support among Galuteria’s constituents, for whom the pace and scope of development in their neighborhood has been a divisive issue.

A smooth path for community college students

Community colleges are a main entry point for students who continue on to the University of Hawaii’s four-year campuses, so it makes sense to streamline the transfer process. UH has done just that with its degree-audit system, known as STAR, which offers eligible community-college students automatic admission to a four-year campus, saving time and application fees.

Over the past five years, nearly 5,000 students have used the STAR system to transfer to UH-Manoa, UH-Hilo or UH-West Oahu, of 18,000 who had the chance, according to a UH news release. Another 2,000 community college students are being notified this week that they are eligible. Let’s hope that they seize the opportunity.