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Campaign Finance Consensus
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Senate Passes Home Rule Bill Overwhelmingly
Vistas Lauds Hawaii LWV
View from a Husband
Legislative Log: Schools, Ethics
News Release... Ethics
Legislative Log: Campaign Finances, Land Use
Perspectives of Land Use
Call to State Convention - LWV-Hawaii

Legislative Log: Schools, Ethics

ACTION ISSUE January 1972

SCHOOLS . . . FAR-REACHING CONSENSUS

The Hawaii State League of Women Voters believes that education is a unique function of state government and therefore:

  1. There should be a State Board as a strong, independent advocate of Education;

  2. The electorate should have a voice in selecting the people who guide educational policy;

  3. Policy making and administrative functions of the state-wide system should be separated;

  4. The Superintendent of Education should be selected by a State Board of Education;

  5. The State Constitution should specify HOW State Board of Education members are to be selected, H110 will select the State Superintendent of Education. and DEFINE the Superintendent's working relationship with the Board.

    (Consensus reached December 1970)

  6. The Hawaii State LWV wants tools to be provided which assure public input at the local level in educational policy setting.

    In addition. the Hawaii State League of Women Voters has the following position on school Finance:

  7. We support the State General Fund as the primary source of funding for the statewide K-12 school system.

  8. We oppose giving the State Board of Education the power to tax.

  9. We support the goal of equal financing and equal educational opportunities for each child, therefore we oppose giving local school districts the authority to raise supplemental funds.

  10. We support the present budget-making process as basically good.

  11. Tools should be provided within the financial structure to assure that the capital and operating budgets for education, once adopted, will be followed closely.

    (Consensus reached January 1972)

SCHOOLS ... Coming up in 1972 Legislature

Most advanced through the legislative process is a "package" of bills passed by the House and now in the Senate. These are designed to put the proposal for appointing the Board of Education before the voters again this November. They also provide a means for apportionment if the voters should again decline to have the Board appointed. We are advised that State Senators, who do not have to stand for re-election this time, intend to spend a lot of campaign time pushing for the appointed Board proposal.

H.B. #1411 Provides for 11-member Board APPOINTED by Governor and for District school advisory councils to be elected from school districts which will coincide with senatorial districts. Provides for vote on constitutional change Nov. 1972.

H.B. #1446 If voters do not approve Constitutional proposal in H.B. 1411 above to change to APPOINTED Board, then H.B. #I446 will go into effect. It provides:

Apportionment of elected Board to total 25 members elected in districts whose boundaries are the same as Senatorial. Number of Board members will equal number of State Senators. Provides for appointed School Advisory Councils..

SCHOOLS . . League Action Plan

  1. Continue to counter efforts: to remove the Constitutional provisions we support; to take away from the State Board of Ed. the power to select the Superintendent of Education; to eliminate a State Board of Ed.; to eliminate the election of school board(s) at all levels.

  2. Speak to funding proposals that fall within the scope of our consensus.

  3. Speak to measures that provide local public input. e.g. representative, reapportioned State School Board or elected local boards or public meetings

  4. Attempt to have a bill introduced that contains LWV-supported provisions.

  5. Seek support for LWV proposals from PTA's and Advisory Councils.

  6. Probably sill have to oppose a ballot issue in Nov. 1972 based on the "package" described on page 1 of this Log.

* * * *

ETHICS . . MYSTICAL ETHICAL MYTH

Support of a State code of ethics administered by a board of ethics, covering all elected and appointed state officials, consisting of broad principles designed to protect and inform the public and the public servant and to provide fair and equal treatment to all.

(Consensus reached 1966)

ETHICS . . . Coming up in 1972 session

The current ethics law covers all state employees. It also covers legislators. except in two significant areas: 1) conflict of interest and 2) dealing with state agencies. So League action in recent years has focused on making those two clauses applicable to legislators.

The League supports pending H.B. 54, which broadens the scope of the Ethics Bill. It is the Governor's Bill and was passed unanimously by the House in 1971.

Now, in 1972. we face a possible crisis: Some legislators and Governor Burns

support measures to remove the legislators from all State Ethics Commission jurisdiction.

ETHICS . . League Action Plan

A. Fight the surprise move to remove the legislators from all State Ethics Commission jurisdiction.

  1. See the news release on page 3 of this Log, which shows the one-time extensive support for expanded ethics coverage by the Governor and lawmakers alike, corrects the myth of the "typographical error", shows how complicated the law-making process can become, and states the League position.

  2. Organize a League Speakers' Bureau to discuss ethics and campaign finances.

  3. Keep the issue alive for the public with letters to the editor, appealing to other groups to bombard their legislators about ethics. additional news releases, and appearances on radio and TV.

    B. In addition, continue to lobby for passage of the revised H.B. Include this goal in the efforts described in A above.

    TIME FOR ACTION

    WRITE YOUR LEGISLATORS AND TELL HIM HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT ETHICS!

    DON'T TAKE ANY LEGISLATOR FOR GRANTED ON THIS ISSUE!

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