A bill that includes funding for an adolescent drug-treatment center on Kaua‘i has passed state Senate, and is working its way through the state House of Representatives, said state Sen. Gary Hooser yesterday. In the bill’s current form, the treatment
A bill that includes funding for an adolescent drug-treatment center on Kaua‘i has passed state Senate, and is working its way through the state House of Representatives, said state Sen. Gary Hooser yesterday.
In the bill’s current form, the treatment center would receive $560,000 in state funds, said Hooser, D-Kaua‘i-Ni‘ihau.
Part of the omnibus drug bill also includes funding for community health centers in the fight against drugs.
“This represents a great step forward in Kaua‘i’s war on ice, and I am optimistic that additional state resources in support of other anti-drug initiatives will also be forthcoming,” said Hooser.
“While these measures still need to survive and achieve ultimate passage in the House, I am very pleased to have them pass successfully in the Senate, and am confident that in the end, we will achieve good things for our community,” he added.
The funds would be used for the county treatment facility currently proposed to be on the former Kauai Humane Society site in Hanapepe, said Roy Nishida, the county’s anti-drug coordinator.
The land is in county hands, said Nishida, as the county got a change of an executive order from the state that originally awarded the land to the Kauai Humane Society. The money, he added, would be used for construction.
But before construction begins, county officials must go through the process of getting building and land-use permits, and still needs to do an environmental assessment on the land, Nishida said.
If all goes according to plan, the treatment center would be open in two years, he continued.
As for the funds, they still need to be approved in the House, then by Gov. Linda Lingle, then released by Lingle, before they can be used.
All measures approved in the Senate are now scheduled for first crossover, where they will move to the House and undergo further review, possible amendment, and in general an uncertain future, said Hooser in a statement.
Bills from the House likewise move to the Senate for further consideration.
Hooser, who holds a seat on the important Senate Ways and Means Committee, the money committee, said he had to lobby hard to have the measure included in the committee’s final recommendations.
After passage in committee, the measure was sent to the Senate floor, where it overwhelmingly passed its third-reading vote on Monday, with opposition coming only from Republican members.
Also approved last week and attached to the Senate’s “rainy-day bill” were measures that had been proposed by Hooser that would provide much-needed funding for Kaua’i community health centers.
These initiatives were also approved in a Senate floor vote on Monday, once again with strong support except for the Republicans who voted in opposition, Hooser said.
Other legislative measures sponsored by Hooser that are expected to pass successfully through the Senate process within the next few days include initiatives that support education reform, protection of public-access rights, funding of a statewide veterans newsletter, and expanded funding opportunities for affordable housing.
They will all eventually be moving to the House and Lingle for final approval, Hooser predicted.
Staff Writer Tom Finnegan may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mailto:tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.
