LIHUE — Kauai’s House Representatives will be gathering on Oahu today to discuss the 20 bills on Governor David Ige’s Intent to Veto list, unveiled Monday.
It’s something done at the end of every legislative session, and Ige has until July 9 to either sign or veto. If no action is taken, the bill becomes law without his signature.
On Kauai, House Representatives were gearing up Monday for the House Democratic Caucus, where legislators will discuss the list.
“Majority caucus meets tomorrow to discuss whether or not the legislature wants to override any of these vetos, which would require a special session,” said Representative Nadine Nakamura, of District 14.
Representative Dee Morikawa, of District 16, said many of the bills on the list were controversial at the legislature, anyway.
“We’ll see what happens tomorrow,” Morikawa said. “These are big money bills for us, so if they fail there would be a shortage in the budget somewhere.”
Nakamura said one of the bills on the list, especially important to Kauai, is the transient accommodation bill that would give the state the ability to collect taxes from booking services and hosting platforms.
Another is a bill that moves the currently ongoing industrial hemp pilot program forward.
“The industrial hemp bill is important for our farmers and for Kauai and something we really need to work,” Nakamura said.
She also pointed out a bill on the veto list that would allow for $50 million in tax credits for digital media and film production in Hawaii — raising the tax credit cap from the current $35 million.
“We know film production creates a lot of new jobs and good paying jobs,” she said.
Also on the veto list are bills relating to vehicle registration, education, and private-public partnerships with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources at their boating facilities.
Bills are vetoed for many reasons, including staffing and resource limitations for the departments involved in the legislation.
“Some of it is nuances, some is processing issues, some have major legal issues,” Nakamura said. “We’ll have a better idea coming out of tomorrow’s meeting.”
House Speaker Scott Saiki said in a statement Monday the House Democratic Caucus will be meeting together and also consulting the Senate leadership about the possibility of an override session if any of the bills are actually vetoed.
“If an override session is not held, any vetoed measures can be reintroduced in the 2020 legislative session. We will use this interim to address the Governor’s objections to vetoed bills,” Saiki said.
