Lawmakers pass 38 more Senate bills on Second Crossover
Honolulu, Hawaii – The House of Representatives today agreed
to provide an additional $1.2 billion funding package for the City’s
financially troubled rail project estimated to cost a total of about $8.1
billion.
In passing SB1183 SD2 HD2, the House extended Oahu’s 0.5 percent general excise tax surcharge for the City’s
rail project for an additional two years through 2029 which will generate an
estimated $792 million.
The House also agreed
to reduce the funds it collects as a GET administrative fee by 90 percent which
will generate an estimated $397 million for the City project.
When adding this new
funding of $1.2 billion to the $6.8 billion already committed to the project,
the State is providing $8 billion for the City rail project.
Rep. Sylvia Luke (D,
Makiki, Punchbowl, Nuuanu, Dowsett Highlands, Pacific Heights, Pauoa), Chair of
the Finance Committee, said the additional rail funding provided in the bill
brings the City very close to its total estimated cost for the entire project.
“This bill is an
honest attempt to once again provide sufficient funds for the city’s
over-priced, over-budget rail project,” Luke said. “There are many more questions
about the rising cost estimates that remain unanswered.”
(For the full text
of Rep. Luke’s speech today, click here.)
“This was a reasoned approach and I would hope that reason would
prevail at the city. It is incumbent upon the Mayor, the city, and HART to use
this opportunity to take control of the cost and its budgets, and look at all
viable options. Threatening the public with a property tax increase is doing a
disservice to our citizens. The city must first do whatever they can to instill
confidence and trust in this project. I am certain given the opportunity they
will do that.”
As part of the bill,
the Honolulu City Council must vote to allow city funds to be used for rail and
approve the GET extension by Dec. 31, 2017 or void the additional State
support.
In an impassioned
speech, Speaker Joseph Souki (D, Kahakuloa, Waihee, Waiehu, Puuohala, Wailuku,
Waikapu), said building rail is the largest public works project in Hawaii’s
history and will provide jobs and a new mode of transportation for commuters.
“This is for the
future. The burden now goes to the City. They need to have ‘skin in the game.’
Hopefully, the (City) Council will get the courage to pass it. I’m asking all of you to support this bill,”
Souki said.
Luke said the State
must be very mindful of how it spends taxpayer money, and that lawmakers and the public have lost faith in
the credibility of cost estimates by the City and Honolulu Authority for Rapid
Transportation administrators.
After providing
almost all the funds needed for the project, the State cannot write a “blank
check” for more taxes going into the future just in case rail goes over budget
again, she said.
Luke said the City
should look at cost savings either through r public private partnerships, finding
creative ways of securing bond financing, or aggressively looking at their
contracts and making cuts to cover the final $100 million of the total cost.
Luke said this $1.2
billion package provides the City with funds to complete the rail project
through Ala Moana and will not jeopardize the $1.55 billion in Federal
Transit Administration funding.
·
Extending the general excise
tax surcharge for two additional years, from December 31, 2027 through December
31, 2029, which will generate an estimated $792 million;
·
Redistributing 90 percent of
the State Department of Taxation administrative fee to the City, which will
generate an estimated $397 million;
·
Requiring the City to
approve the extension on or before December 31, 2017;
·
Mandating that the City not
prohibit the use of city funds for rail expenses;
·
Prohibiting the use of the
GET surcharge revenue to fund HART administrative, operating and personnel
expenses;
·
Stating that GET funds can
only be used for construction;
·
Giving all counties the
option to extend the surcharge.
In addition, the
House also moved the following bills on Second Crossover:
Veterans
SB 602 HD1 repeals the requirement that a disabled veteran be in receipt of
disability retirement pay from the armed forces to be exempt from the payment
of annual vehicle registration fees.
Climate Change
SB 559 SD1 HD2 requires the State to expand strategies and
mechanisms to reduce greenhouse gas emissions statewide in alignment with the
principles and goals adopted in the Paris Agreement.
Affordable Housing
SB 1244 SD2 HD2 authorizes qualified nonprofit housing
trusts to repurchase affordable units developed with government assistance when
a government entity waives its first right of refusal to repurchase the unit.
Internet Privacy
SB 429 SD2 HD2 adopts uniform laws on protecting the online
accounts of employees, unpaid interns, applicants, students, and prospective
students from employers and educational institutions, respectively.
Condominium Law
SB 369 SD1 HD1 prohibits apartment and condominium
associations, boards of directors, managing agents, resident managers, and
apartment and condominium owners from retaliating or discriminating against an
owner, board member, or association employee who takes lawful action to
address, prevent, or stop a violation of Hawaii's condominium laws or a
condominium's governing documents, or exercises any rights as an owner.
Prison
SB 603 SD1 HD2 requires report to Legislature on solitary
confinement in Hawaii and Arizona correctional facilities that house Hawaii
inmates. It also requires the Department of Public Safety to expand the
environmental impact statement process for potential sites for the Oahu
Community Correctional Center relocation and submit a report to Legislature.
Taxation
SB 620 SD2 HD2 requires retailers or vendors that are not
located in the State and not required to pay or collect general excise or use
tax for sales to send certain information to purchasers in the State.
SB 686 SD2 HD1 establishes education surcharges on
residential investment properties and visitor accommodations for funding public
education.
SB 704 SD2 HD2 allows transient accommodations brokers to
register as tax collection agents to collect and remit general excise and
transient accommodations taxes on behalf of operators and plan managers using
their services for vacation rentals.
Homelessness
SB 717 SD2 HD2 makes appropriations and establishes a
temporary program to clean up state real property after the departure of
persons who have illegally camped or lodged on state real property.
SB 1290 SD2 HD2 allocates funds from transient
accommodations tax revenues to the Hawaii Tourism Authority in conjunction with
the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association for the implementation of
initiatives to address homelessness in tourist and resort areas.
Pregnancy Centers
SB 501 SD1 HD2 requires all limited service pregnancy
centers to disclose the availability of and enrollment information for reproductive
health services and establishes privacy and disclosure requirements for
individual records and information.
In Vitro Fertilization
SB 502 SD1 HD1 removes discriminatory requirements for
mandatory insurance coverage of in vitro fertilization procedures to create
parity of coverage for same-sex couples, unmarried women, and male-female
couples for whom male infertility is the relevant factor.
Retirement
SB 249 SD2 HD1 reduces the percentage of average final
compensation used to calculate the retirement allowance for a member who first
earned credited service as a judge after June 30, 2050, to 2 per cent.
Maui Hospitals
SB 207 SD2 HD1 appropriates funds to the Department of
Budget and Finance for collective bargaining cost items related to the
transition of affected Maui region hospital employees to employment with Maui
Health System, a Kaiser Foundation Hospitals LLC.
Lifeguard Protection
SB 562 SD1 HD1 requires the Attorney General to defend any
civil action against the county based on negligence, wrongful act, or omission
of a county lifeguard for services at a designated state beach park under an
agreement between the State and a county.
