SBH Sunrise May 27
Allen Doane, CEO A&B
Tuesday, May 18
Aiea-Pearl City
Business Association
Pearl Country Club
12 noon
Wednesday, May 19
SBH Board Meeting
SBH Office – Hawaii Kai
12 noon
May 19 – 21
SBA Small Business
Week Expo
May 22
Small Business Fair
KCC | 8:30 am to 2:30 pm
Thursday, May 27
SBH Sunrise Breakfast
Allen Doane
Macy’s Pineapple Room
7 – 8:30 am
Inside this Issue!
Small Business Views
Allen Doane at SBH Sunrise
Small Business Awardees
Fake Education Reform Bill
Small Business Fair
More Than Sewage Stinks
Ted Hong on SBH TV
Pau Hana Party at Tiki's (PDF)
More articles in
the May SB News
Allen Doane, President & CEO of
A&B to speak at May 27 Sunrise.
Click for Details!
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Small Business News
May 2004 | Lead Photo & Story
The State's "Spending Plan" and charter schools are 2 big issues debated at the Capitol. Peter Robson and Randy Finlay, were named SBA "Small Business Persons of the Year" (lower right). Details coming soon in the May 2004 issue of Small Business News.
Legislature Sends "UnBudget" to Governor
The State Legislature which began Wednesday, January 21 with high hopes for achievement by some, quickly deteriorated into a partisan “get the Governor’ session where all the initiatives of the new administration—including business reforms—were attacked. The Session is due to end Thursday, May 6 but the Governor has raised the possibility that she might call a special session this summer to resolve key issues.
Democrats, anxious to overturn expected vetoes by the Chief Executive while still in session, actually have their sights on the upcoming November elections. Bills, such as an unbalanced budget—the Governor calls it a “spending plan,” and educational deform, were rushed to her as incomplete in late April. Many bills languish in House- Senate conference Committees where anything is possible in the final hours.
SB News will have a complete review of the session and a rating of all 76 lawmakers in the next (June, 2004) issue.
The cost of arbitrated collective bargaining with the powerful—and political—Hawaii Government Employees Association union (HGEA) as well as regular bargaining (UHPA, HSTA, UPW) is tremendous and unresolved at press time. Senator Sam Slom (R-8) remarked on the Senate Floor last month, “It seems the Legislature is in Session every year simply to fund generous salary increases and benefits for our public employees.”
Highlights of the ’04 Legislature to date;
Workers compensation reform stopped by the unions—again.
Taxes, fees, mandates and costs of doing business going up—again.
Treatment—not effective punishment—for criminals.
“fake” education reform
Charter Schools, Hawaii’s most effective public schools, have long gotten the shaft by the Department of Education, Board of Education, HSTA and HGEA unions. Why? Because they are independent, creative and they work. Previously, they enjoyed exemption from certain collective bargaining but were punished by DOE lower per pupil outlays and assaults on teacher equity. They even had their minuscule funds cut this year, but a day before a published rally on April 23, legislative Democrats returned $2.5 million for charter Schools in a separate appropriations” bill. These schools still cannot operate at their full potential.
The Democrat strategy to “balance” the budget, (HB 1800) is based on raids of various special and revolving funds for estimated at a total in excess of $60 million. The funds will be transferred to the general fund.
SB 2125 is a majority party tax increase for the conveyance tax. Whether you buy, rent or have a commercial lease that must be recorded, you will be subjected to a graduated scale of increases to this tax based on the real property’s value. SB 2690 will establish a new tax in disguise to pay for emergency medical services. A new $10 tax will be tacked on to motor vehicle registrations and deposited into a new special fund.
SB 3019 would allow the members of the Police union to take a tax credit of up to $960 for single coverage and $2,400 for family coverage for annual health insurance premiums. This bill sets a bad precedent since all the other public sector unions will ask for the same thing. Items like this should be part of the collective bargaining process.
See next month’s wrap-up for more.
 Pau Hana Party at Tiki's With SBH! (68K PDF File Download)
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