GOVERNOR LINGLE CALLS LEGISLATURE INTO SPECIAL SESSION

For Immediate Release:  October 22, 2007     

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today called on the Hawai‘i State Legislature to convene a special session starting Wednesday, Oct. 24, at 9:00 a.m. to address matters pertaining to the Hawai‘i Superferry service and the state’s extended sentencing law.  In addition, the State Senate will take up 101 gubernatorial nominees that require Senate confirmation.

The Governor has been meeting with Senate President Colleen Hanabusa and House Speaker Calvin Say to reach a consensus on the language of a bill to allow the Superferry service to resume while the state conducts an environmental impact statement relating to harbor improvements for the ferry operation.  Both President Hanabusa and Speaker Say have informed the Governor that after meeting with members of their respective chambers, they “ascertained that there is support to convene a special session for the purposes of addressing matters pertaining to the Superferry and extended term sentencing.”  Drafts of the bill have also been shared with the Hawai‘i Superferry to ensure the measure would enable the company to remain in business.

“I appreciate the bipartisan cooperation of both the Senate President and House Speaker, together with their members, to find an acceptable solution that is in the best interest of all the people of Hawai‘i,” said Governor Lingle.  “The majority of the people across our state want this important transportation option, and I am pleased that we have worked collaboratively to find a way to allow the service to continue while an environmental impact statement is conducted and concerns are addressed.

“This special session is not just about one company or one vessel, it is about the long-term economic well-being of our state; and about giving our residents, farmers and civil defense agencies options when traveling between the islands,” the Governor said.  “Allowing this transportation alternative to resume will also restore the reputation of our state as a fair place to do business.”

During the special session, lawmakers will also address Hawai‘i’s extended sentencing law, which the U.S. Supreme Court and Hawai‘i Supreme Court ruled is unconstitutional.  The courts ruled that the extended sentencing law violates a person’s right to a jury trial because under the current law, judges, not juries, have the responsibility to extend prison sentences for felons with multiple convictions.

The State Senate will also consider the confirmation of 101 of Governor Lingle’s nominees, including three department directors, a judge and various board and commission members.

The three department heads who have been serving on an interim basis are Laura H. Thielen, Department of Land and Natural Resources; Clayton Frank, Department of Public Safety; and Darwin Ching, Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Two other nominees include Ron Terry, the head of the State health Planning and Development Agency, which is responsible for promoting accessibility to quality, affordable health care services; as well as Les Kondo, who was appointed to the Public Utilities Commission.

Also up for confirmation are 95 members of various state boards and commissions that cover a broad range of issues, such as land use, language access, health care, teacher standards, public housing, the hurricane relief fund, cultural burials, water resource management, procurement and veteran services.

The Senate will also need to consider the confirmation of Circuit Court Judge Randal Lee to fill a vacancy on the Immediate Court of Appeals.

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For more information, contact:
Lenny Klompus
Senior Advisor - Communications
Phone: (808) 586-7708

Russell Pang
Chief of Media Relations
Phone: (808) 586-0043