Maui Reps speak out on veto targets

Maui News ran a story today on lawmakers urging the Governor not to veto certain bills, and rallying supporters to contact her as well.

As presented in the post below, Rep. Angus McKelvey (District 10 - Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kapalua, Maalaea, Kihei, North Kihei) is most appalled by the possible veto of his bill to develop an emergency access plan for West Maui, particularly when Honoapiilani Highway (the only ingress and egress) is shut down by natural disaster.

"McKelvey said he included the provision to exempt a contract from the procurement code because traffic management consultant, Jim Charlier, of Charlier Associates Inc. of Boulder, Colo., is willing to do the work for $50,000. Other outside consultants would charge four times that amount. If Charlier, who has worked on West Maui transportation issues in the past, doesn't pan out, McKelvey said some local transportation consultants said they would come in and take a pay cut to do the job."

Rep. Joe Bertram (District 11 - Makena, Wailea, Kihei), said he wasn't surprised that his Medical Marijuana task force bill, HB2675, was on the list.

"When Bertram introduced his marijuana-related bills this spring, Lingle announced at a Maui public event that she would do whatever is within her power to make sure those bills do not become law. Lingle also chastised the media for devoting coverage to Bertram's bills."

Rep. Joe Souki (District 8 - Wailuku, Waihee, Waiehu, Puuohala, Waikapu), as Transportation Chair, is most concerned about HB2250, a bill to establish a commission to implement regulation of inter-island airline carriers.

"Lingle argued that the bill reduces incentives for the airlines to behave efficiently and discourages healthy competition. It also runs against the federal Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, Lingle said."

However, Speaker Emeritus Souki believes that Hawaii is so dependent on interisland airlines that regulation is needed to make the airlines more accountable and to stabilize ticket prices. Besides, the law would not take effect unless there was federal legislation enacted to allow the implementation.