LIHU‘E — Business groups from Kaua‘i joined their brothers and sisters from across the state and descended on the State Capitol Wednesday, reminding legislators of their hope that a handful of bills considered to be bad for commerce are not
LIHU‘E — Business groups from Kaua‘i joined their brothers and sisters from across the state and descended on the State Capitol Wednesday, reminding legislators of their hope that a handful of bills considered to be bad for commerce are not overridden should Gov. Linda Lingle veto them.
“Our intent was to communicate the position of the coalition of 14 business and industry groups from across the state, including Chambers (of Commerce) of each island, regarding bills that are at the governor’s desk,” said Randall Francisco, Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce president, in a phone interview.
Principal among the bills discussed is House Bill 952, also known as card check, which would make it easier for employees to start a union.
Francisco said he and members of the Hawai‘i Crop Industry Association had an opportunity to meet with state Rep. Roland Sagum, who originally voted in favor of card check with reservations.
“He basically listens to his constituents in terms of e-mails and comments from them, which was, to us, very important,” Francisco said of Sagum. Francisco said his “general impression” was that Sagum would not support an override.
Sagum confirmed in a phone interview that he did meet with Francisco and others Wednesday, and added that he has been “receiving huge numbers of phone calls and e-mails telling me to not support card check,” but stopped short of announcing which way he would fall on a potential override vote, saying he would withhold his decision until after a meeting with House leadership this morning.
The business people knocked on doors of state senators and representatives, talking with those who were in their offices and leaving printed information for those who were not, said Donna Apisa, Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce member and president and principal broker of Oceanfront Realty International, Inc., on the North Shore.
“I think it was a very successful day. Business needs to be heard at the Legislature,” Apisa said. “I think it will and I hope that it will” make a difference.
In addition to the card-check legislation, Apisa said other meaningful legislation still alive involves workers’ compensation and family leave.
She said around 130 people from O‘ahu, Kaua‘i and Maui attended the “walk around.”
According to an e-mail from Caroline Texeira, Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce vice president of operations, the walk around was a “demonstration of our unity regarding legislation that supports business in this difficult economy.”
In his column in the July Kaua‘i Business Report, published Wednesday, Francisco weighed in on seven other bills that were included on Lingle’s list of potential vetoes.
The chamber said it opposes a bill relating to workers’ compensation and medical treatment and hopes to see Lingle, a Republican, veto it and the Legislature, strong majority Democrat, not override her veto. Francisco said the chamber supports bills relating to tort liability for lifeguards, an oversight commission for the federal stimulus, an exemption to the procurement code, affordable housing infrastructure, the general excise tax and the statewide transportation plan.
• Paul C. Curtis, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or pcurtis@kauaipubco.com. Michael Levine, assistant news editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mlevine@kauaipubco.com
