Hawaii lawmakers wrapping up session
By MARK NIESSE
Associated Press
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Hawaii lawmakers finished passing bills for this year's legislative session Thursday, including a $5 billion annual budget that relies on raising taxes, slashing government services and using an infusion of federal stimulus cash to fill the state's deficit.
Legislators also gave final approval to increasing taxes on oil, possibly opening a space port in the Islands, making residents pay taxes for Internet purchases, tightening technology tax credits and giving taxpayers a meager $1 rebate.
"What a roller-coaster ride it's been. And obviously, I don't care too much for roller coasters," said Sen. Donna Mercado Kim, D-Kalihi Valley-Halawa.
While Thursday was the last day to pass bills, lawmakers will return to the Capitol on Friday to attempt overrides of Gov. Linda Lingle's vetoes of tax increases on hotel rooms, income, property sales and noncigarette tobacco products.
It was the most hectic day of this year's legislative session, with Lingle holding a public veto rally in the Capitol rotunda, lawmakers rushing to finish their work and the Senate debating same-sex civil unions.
Most of the Legislature's time this year was occupied by trying to balance the budget, in part by passing tax increases totaling $300 million over two years. Nearly $1 billion more will come from federal stimulus money.
The biggest slice of the savings — about half — came from general fund budget cuts, including reductions in many state departmental base budgets by more than 20 percent.
The only "no" votes on the budget came from four of the Legislature's six Republicans, some of whom wanted public employee unions to share in the pain.
"Long-standing Hawaii businesses have gone bankrupt. Government unions want to walk away from this crisis unscathed. This legislature seems to be doing their bidding. This is not union bashing. It's the truth," said Senate Minority Leader Fred Hemmings, R-Lanikai-Waimanalo.
The Legislature on Thursday passed nearly 100 bills including:
"No one will be completely happy with this budget," said House Finance Committee Chairman Marcus Oshiro, D-Wahiawa-Poamoho. "We tried. We gave it our best."
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AP writer Herbert A. Sample contributed to this report.