Hawaii Directory of Officials, 2010

LRB Library publishes the 2010 Hawaii Directory and offers pdf downloads as a complete volume and by individual agency on the LRB website.

A companion volume to the Guide to Government in Hawaii, this annual publication provides directory information for government in Hawaii. Includes phone numbers, mail and email addresses, and web site URLs.

Hawaii Directory of State, County and Federal Officials, 2010
(March 2010, pdf, 175pp/1.5MB)

Just in ... Environmental review in Hawaii

Report to the Legislature on Hawaii's Environmental Review System, by Karl Kim, Denise Antolini, and Peter Rappa, was prepared in response to the passage of Act 1 by the Legislature in 2008. Section 10 therein required the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) to contract with the University of Hawaii (UH) to study the State's environmental review process, specifically:

1. Examine the effectiveness of the current environmental review system created by chapters 341, 343, and 344, Hawaii Revised Statutes;
2. Assess the unique environmental, economic, social, and cultural issues in Hawaii that should be incorporated into an environmental review system;
3. Address larger concerns and interests related to sustainable development, global environmental change, and disaster-risk reduction; and
4. Develop a strategy, including legislative recommendations, for modernizing Hawaii's environmental review system so that it meets international and national best-practices standards.

From the report's executive summary:

Hawaii’s "trigger" and "exempt" approach is now archaic compared to the more efficient "discretionary approval" approach used in many other states and the focus on "major" actions under well-accepted federal law. The diverse group of stakeholders of the current system, of whom over 100 participated in this study, has different views about the specific problem and solutions, yet there is a shared sense that the system is in need of change.

The report proposes that Hawaii update, refocus, and streamline its environmental review system by replacing the current "project trigger" screen, which encourages late review and 11th hour public participation, with a new "earliest discretionary approval" screen to encourage early review and public participation.

An omnibus bill to amend chapters 341 and 343 is included.

Report to the Legislature on Hawaii's Environmental Review System (pdf, 180pp/1.6MB), Jan. 2010
KFH354 K55 2010

The UH Study Team has a blog on this project.

Historic Hawaii newspapers online

The University of Hawaii at Manoa Library announced that three Hawaii newspapers are now available online at the Library of Congress's Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers website. The Library is a participant in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Library of Congress, and state projects to provide access to U.S. newspapers published between 1836 and 1922.

The Hawaii papers are:

• The Daily Herald (Honolulu, 1886-1887)
• The Hawaiian Gazette (Honolulu, 1865-1916; online: 1877-1913)
• The Independent (Honolulu, 1895-1905)

According to the Library, The Daily Herald and The Hawaiian Gazette had "a conservative pro-American editorial viewpoint" and The Independent had "a strongly nationalistic Hawaiian viewpoint."

Chronicling America currently provides newspapers from 1880 to 1922 from the District of Columbia and 15 states: Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. It aims to eventually have every state and U.S. territory represented.

Hawaii apology resolution

The November issue of the Harvard Law Review covers the Supreme Court 2008 term. The section on Leading Cases includes a discussion of Hawaii v. Office of Hawaiian Affairs, in which the U.S. Supreme Court reversed the Hawaii Supreme Court regarding the 1993 joint resolution acknowledging "the illegal overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii" in 1893 and apologizing to Native Hawaiians, S.J. Res. 19 (pdf, 5pp), P.L. No. 103-150.

The case concerned a Maui tract of former crown land that was ceded to the United States at annexation and held by the State. The Hawaii high court ruled that the State had "a fiduciary duty as trustee to protect the ceded lands pending a resolution of native Hawaiian claims." The U.S. Supreme Court reversed, holding that the Apology Resolution did not strip Hawaii of its authority to "sell, exchange, or transfer" ceded lands. The final section of the Resolution is a Disclaimer: "Nothing in this Joint Resolution is intended to serve as a settlement of any claims against the United States."

The Harvard writer states, "The Hawaii case is remarkable for the apparent consensus that the Apology Resolution was legally insignificant," and concludes:

We have become accustomed to an overwhelming amount of empty political rhetoric — politicians’ words that are neither false nor efficacious. Congressional resolutions are a prime culprit....it is easy to understand a congressional apology as mere "conciliatory and precatory" verbiage with no actual legal effect. By reading the resolution this way, however, the Court accepted and perpetuated an understanding of political rhetoric as meaningless and impotent. The Court should instead take seriously the possibility that congressional language may be legally significant, even where it is not, strictly speaking, used to create legal rights.

Hawaii Apology Resolution (pdf, 11pp), Harvard Law Review, Nov. 2009, pp. 302-312

The Hawaii Legislature - its first 50

In commemoration of Hawaii's 50th statehood anniversary to be celebrated August 21, the Hawaii Legislature has produced an informative chronicle of its history. Beginning with the First Legislature that convened on Aug. 31, 1959, in Special Session, and concluded in 1962, this account is conveniently compiled by decades. Each biennial session contains rosters of Senate and House members, as well as legislative actions on the top issues of the day.

Fifty Years of Legislative History, 1959-2009

Hawaii's Five-O KO'd

The New York Times published an editorial wondering at Hawaii's much lack of official celebration commemorating Hawaii's 50th anniversary of statehood:

It's not that the anniversary is being totally ignored. There’s a statehood commission. There are events...On the actual anniversary, there's a conference at the convention center in Honolulu where panelists will discuss state history, the economy and the environment, then party into the night with the Platters, the Drifters and the Coasters.

Hawaii's governor's current webpage would differ as to the extent of celebration, "the Hawai`i 50th Anniversary of Statehood Commission is sponsoring events across the state." The mentioned conference is titled, The New Horizons for the Next 50 Years, A Commemoration Conference, and its website states:

The 50th Anniversary of Hawai‘i’s Statehood provides a unique opportunity to commemorate the path that has brought us to the success we have experienced in our first 50 years since statehood, and to solidify the vision for who we will be over the next 50 years.

The price of attendance is listed as only $30 ($15 for students), and "original Hawaii 50th Statehood Anniversary products certified by the 50th Anniversary of Statehood Commission" are available for purchase online.

Seems this is not enough for NYT:

...the islands bled at Pearl Harbor, rebuilt the fleet to win the Pacific war, and sent thousands of sons overseas, including the Japanese-American volunteers of the 100th Battalion, one of the most decorated units in Army history...

Hawaii has given a lot to the Union. It got its own native-son president in January. Only 21 states are in that club. The guy who really invented baseball is buried in Honolulu. And if you could go to any of the 50 states right now, which would it be? The state has a lot to celebrate, if it really wanted to.

Just in ... Haleakala FEIS

Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope on the proposed ATST within the Haleakala High Altitude Observatory (HO) site on Maui was prepared by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The purpose of the project "would be to help scientists understand the solar magnetic activities and variability that drive space weather and the hazards it creates for astronauts and air travelers, and for communications to and from satellites."

Back in May, "Haleakala called best site for telescope" headlined an article in the Star Bulletin that reported NSF had studied 70 sites around the world, including Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, and selected Haleakala as "the only site that satisfies the goals of the world's largest optical solar telescope."

TD194.5 N32 2009
FEIS (pdf, 4 vols.)

See also NSF's ATST environmental compliance website with links to related documents

Just in ... Hawaii outdoor rec

The State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) 2008 Update was published last month by the Hawaii Dept. of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). An update of the 2003 SCORP report, it was prepared to qualify for federal funding under the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) Act, P.L. 88-578. LWCF funding is used for the acquisition and development of public lands for outdoor recreation. The state and counties of Hawaii have received more than $36 million in federal grants since the program's inception in 1965.

HC107 H3 H56 2008
Report (pdf, 207pp/14.8 MB)
Appendix (pdf, 274pp/22.3MB)

Just in ... Ben

Ben: A Memoir, From Street Kid to Governor. Former legislator and governor of Hawaii, Benjamin Cayetano has written an "unflinching memoir with no punches pulled, told with warm and candor." Cayetano began his political career in the state House (1975-1978), rose to the Senate (1979-1986), then to lieutenant governor (1986-1994), before being elected the first Filipino American governor in the U.S., serving two terms from 1994 to 2002. Known for his independence and outspokenness, his book has drawn lively interest. 560pp.

DU627.83 C39 C39 2009
ISBN 978-0-9790647-0-8 (softbound)
ISBN 978-0-9821698-0-3 (casebound)

See review, chapter 1 of book, commentaries:
    Advertiser, Feb. 15, 2009
    Chapter 1 (pdf)
    DePledge, Feb. 18, 2009
    Shapiro, Mar. 18, 2009

Broadband for Hawaii

The Hawaii Broadband Task Force (HBTF), established by the Legislature through Act 2, First Special Session of 2007, issued its final report last month. The Task Force's recommendations:

1. Establish a forward-looking vision to make Hawaii globally competitive.
   

   Enact legislation that enshrines in statute a forward-looking vision to guide policy and action: Hawaii recognizes broadband as critical infrastructure for the 21st century.



2. Create a one-stop broadband advancement authority.

   Enact legislation that consolidates any and all state and county wired and wireless, voice, data and video regulation, franchising and permitting functions into a one-stop self-funded expert broadband advancement authority in the State Dept. of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA).



3. Welcome trans-Pacific submarine fiber to Hawaii.
   

   Reduce the barriers to landing new fiber in Hawaii through a shared-use, open-access, fiber-ready, international submarine cable landing station on Oahu that is made available to all projects on a fair and equitable basis.



4. Stimulate demand for broadband.
   

   All government agencies should actively develop and deploy public services that apply broadband capabilities in their areas of responsibility.

Hawaii Broadband Task Force Final Report (pdf, 74pp/2MB)

Available in the Library: TK5103.4 H36 2008

Just in...vog

After March 12, 2008, when a new gas vent in Halemaumau crater significantly increased vog emissions, a House Special Committee on Vog Effects of the Hawaii Legislature was established. Hearings were held in the summer covering health and public safety, agriculture, and economic impacts. The Committee's report and supporting documents were recently received.

House Special Committee on Vog Effects Report (pdf, 20pp/784kB), Oct. 6, 2008
RA576.6 H32 2008

Supporting Documents to House Special Committee on Vog Effects Report dated October 6, 2008
RA576.6 H3 H33 2008

Still up in smoke

In the last 10 years, the states have spent just 3.2 percent of their total tobacco-generated revenue on tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

So finds the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and reported in their newly released study. By 1998, all fifty states had reached settlement with the tobacco industry to recover healthcare costs related to smoking. The multi-state settlement, known as the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) imposed not only restrictions on the marketing of tobacco but required "the tobacco companies to make annual payments to the states in perpetuity, with total payments estimated at $246 billion over the first 25 years." The Campaign's report states:

Ten years after the November 1998 state tobacco settlement, we find that most states have failed to keep their promise to use a significant portion of the settlement funds to reduce tobacco's terrible toll on America's children, families and communities.

Although receiving $203.5 billion in tobacco revenue, states only used $6.5 billion for tobacco prevention and cessation programs.

Ranking all states, the study found no state to be funding tobacco prevention programs at levels recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Only nine states fund tobacco prevention at even half the CDC’s recommended amount. Hawaii is ranked 4, funding $11.3 million for FY2009, 74.3% of the CD's recommendation of $15.2 million.

While states cut funding for tobacco prevention, tobacco companies dramatically increased marketing expenditures. From 1998 to 2005, tobacco marketing nearly doubled from $6.9 billion to $13.4 billion, according to the most recent data from the Federal Trade Commission.

A Decade of Broken Promises: The 1998 State Tobacco Settlement Ten Years Later - Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
Full Report (pdf, 142pp/740kB)
Executive Summary & Key Findings (pdf, 6pp/56kB)
State Rankings (pdf, 2pp/40kB)

Just in...

The Dream Begins:How Hawaii Shaped Barack Obama, by Hawaii journalists Stu Glauberman and Jerry Burris, relates Obama's youth in Hawaii from 1971 as a ten-year-old through his graduation from Punahou in 1979. The authors also cover his birth and early childhood in Hawaii and four years in Indonesia. Against the background of '70s Hawaii, the book describes the Obama's navigation through issues of race and adolescence. 152 pp.
E901.1 O23 G55 2008 (ISBN 9780981508689)

See Star Bulletin review, Aug. 10, 2008


In Promises to Keep: On Life and Politics, Joe Biden chronicles his life from his childhood in Scranton, PA, and Wilmington, DE; his personal challenges; his long tenure in the U.S. Senate since his election in 1972 at age 29; and his roles in and reflections on national events and politics. 400 pp.
E840.8 B54 A3 2007 (ISBN 9781400065363)

See Christian Science Monitor review, Aug. 28, 2007

Scanning public policy history

The Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau is making available online digital versions of their older reports. From the Hawaii territorial days and up through 1995, when the Bureau began directly putting reports online, this project attempts to provide a more complete history of public policy in Hawaii and perhaps offer recommendations of value even today.

The reports will be added as they are digitized and optimized for network access.

Newly Added LRB Studies from the Archives (1950 - 1995)

ConCons in other states

Illinois and Hawaii are among 14 states that mandate periodic referenda to call constitutional conventions. The Library just received a report published last April by the Legislative Research Unit (LRU) of the Illinois General Assembly on how constitutional revisions are handled by different states. The 14 with mandatory referenda are Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island. The report also describes constitutional revision efforts of 7 states without mandatory referenda: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, Utah, and Virginia.

Included are appendices on how states call ConCons (by the legislature or by mandatory referendum), referendum frequency, and constitutional citations; and how a constitution revision commission works.

State Constitutional Revision in Recent Decades (pdf, 23pp/1.43MB), April 17, 2008 (KF4530 I54 2008)

ConCon$ in Hawaii

House Concurrent Resolution No. 231, House Draft 1, adopted during Hawaii's Regular Session of 2008, directs the Legislative Reference Bureau to study the costs of convening a constitutional convention and provide an estimate of the projected total cost.

LRB released this report today which contains the results of their study and their estimate of the total projected cost of a constitutional convention, including consideration of various alternatives.

This report estimates costs of a constitutional convention held on Oahu in 2010 or 2012.

Cost Estimates For A Constitutional Convention (pdf, 111pp/680kB)

See also:
FR 8.11.2008 on the Hawaii Constitutional Convention Cost Task Force, led by Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, and its final report.

FR 6.16.2008 on LRB's Hawaii Constitutional Convention Studies, 1978.

ConCon costs

On Aug. 1 the Hawaii Constitutional Convention Cost Task Force, led by Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona, issued its final report which projected the cost of a ConCon to range from $2.3 million to $11.1 million. Among the variable factors considered: number of delegates (25-102); duration of convention (90-120 days), location (State Capitol, Blaisdell, others), delegate per diem ($90-$150), fringe benefits for delegate staff and convention staff (yes or no). Delegates would be paid $4,201 per month, delegate staff $10,000. A Star Bulletin article (Aug. 2, 2008) reported that Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser "dismissed the idea of a convention with 25 delegates, saying it was too small" and estimated that a ConCon would cost $20 million.

Projecting the Cost of a Constitutional Convention in Hawaii (pdf, 44pp/264kB)

Project HOPE

This morning's Advertiser reports on Hawaii's Project HOPE (Hawaii's Opportunity Probation with Enforcement), or HOPE Probation, administered by the Judiciary. The Advertiser's story, "HOPE gets nation's attention," refers to an article carried yesterday by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and a presentation by HOPE's founder Judge Steven Alm, and Prof. Angela Hawken, at a conference held in Washington, D.C., also yesterday, sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

The WSJ article, "Scared Straight...by Probation," states in part:

The key: "flash incarceration" that sends offenders to jail for short but immediate sentences for violating virtually any probation condition. Those who follow the rules are rewarded with looser supervision.
. . . . .
Flash incarceration has been used around the U.S. by specialized courts established to adjudicate drug cases, with demonstrated success. But the Hawaii program is one of the first to test the approach among a broader group of probationers. In a randomized, controlled trial of more than 500 probationers, researchers from Pepperdine University and the University of California at Los Angeles found HOPE probationers were less than half as likely as controls to miss probation-officer appointments or test dirty for drugs, even though the controls knew in advance when they would be tested and HOPE participants didn't.

Smoking news

USA Today had two stories this week on cigarettes and smoking:

On July 8 the paper reported on a proposal by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to rescind a 1966 guidance that allowed cigarette manufacturers to claim low tar and nicotine yields of cigarettes based on the Cambridge Filter Method, also referred to as "the FTC method," a machine-based test that "smoked" cigarettes. According to FTC's press release, such machine-based measurements are not accurate. "The primary reason for this is smoker compensation--that is, smokers alter their smoking behavior in order to obtain the necessary nicotine dosage."

A July 10 article cited a recent study on secondhand smoke from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There has been a dramatic decline since the early 1990s, mainly because of increased bans on smoking in the workplace and public places and fewer adult smokers, but the article quoted one of the study's authors stating, "It's still high. There is no safe level of exposure." The study was reported in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

On a related note, in Hawaii, the Tobacco Enforcement Unit of the Department of the Attorney General (AG) is charged with enforcing the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and the state cigarette taxation law. The Unit publishes a Directory (pdf, 73pp/524kB) of tobacco brands and manufacturers permitted to sell cigarettes in Hawaii.

Hawaii ConCon?

The Hawaii Legislative Reference Bureau has been requested by the 2008 Legislature (HCR231 HD1, 2008; pdf) to study the costs of convening a constitutional convention and provide an estimate of the projected total cost.

Revisions of or amendments to the Hawaii State constitution may be proposed by constitutional convention or by the legislature. (Hawaii Constitution, Article XVII).

Section 2 also states:

The legislature may submit to the electorate at any general or special election the question, "Shall there be a convention to propose a revision of or amendments to the Constitution?" If any nine-year period shall elapse during which the question shall not have been submitted, the lieutenant governor shall certify the question, to be voted on at the first general election following the expiration of such period.

The last ConCon convened in 1978.

The Hawaii Constitutional Studies 1978 were undertaken at the direction of the legislature and are an attempt to present in understandable form many of the possible issues and the arguments on both sides of such issues that the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1978 may wish to consider.

Hawaii Constitutional Convention Studies 1978