Lawmakers won’t override Ige vetoes

House and Senate lawmakers will not meet in a special session this year to attempt to override any vetoes of bills by Gov. David Ige, but the state Senate will meet Monday and Tuesday to consider approving the appointments of four District Court judges.

Ige has announced he plans to veto 11 bills that were approved by lawmakers this year, including measures to expand the reach of the state hotel room tax to include “resort fees” that are charged to hotel guests, and another measure that would authorize the use of medical marijuana to treat drug addiction.

Senate President Ron Kouchi circulated a memo earlier this week announcing that “we do NOT plan to convene the Senate and House” in a veto override session, a decision that was reached after discussions by House and Senate leadership.

House Speaker Scott Saiki distributed a similar memo Tuesday advising House members that lawmakers will review Ige’s objections to the bills slated for veto and consider addressing Ige’s objections to them during the regular session next year.

Ige also intends to veto measures that would have created minimum statewide standards for law enforcement officers and would have allowed motorcycles to drive in shoulder lanes.

The Senate will meet Monday and Tuesday to consider Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald’s nominations of Kenneth J. Shimozono to the District Family Court on Oahu and Kristine Y. Yoo to District Court on Oahu.

Senators also will consider the nominations of Mahilani E.K. Hiatt and Wendy M. DeWeese to the District Family Court on Hawaii island.

The Senate will convene at 10 a.m. Monday, and the Senate Judiciary Committee will meet at 10:30 a.m. in Room 224 to consider the nominations. Final floor votes on the nominations are scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Shimozono serves as a per diem judge in the 1st Circuit District Family Court and has been practicing criminal defense law as a partner in the firm of Takemoto &Shimozono LLC since 2005. He previously served for 10 years as a deputy public defender in Honolulu.

Yoo has worked as a deputy prosecuting attorney in Honolulu for 14 years and previously served as an AmeriCorps attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii.

Hiatt serves as a per diem judge in the District and District Family courts on Hawaii island and practices commercial litigation and employment law as a partner at Hiatt & Hiatt. She was previously human resources director at Hawaii Electric Light Co.

DeWeese has been a deputy public defender in Kealakekua for 11 years and also worked for 11 years in private practice in California handling personal injury, civil and family law cases.