State Legislature opens without the usual revelry

In normal times, protesters, lobbyists, government officials and students flood the Hawaii Capitol in downtown Honolulu for opening-­day festivities of the Legislature. Music blares from the outdoor rotunda, people pound poi and dance hula and activists rally receptive crowds around agendas such as water rights, minimum wage hikes and criminal justice reform.

But this year, the coronavirus pandemic and the shock waves it has sent through the economy, as well as heightened security as a result of the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol, combined to create somber, austere ceremonies as lawmakers gathered on Wednesday to kick off this year’s legislative session.

The public was banned from the Capitol. The National Guard was stationed inside and outside the building and the rotunda was surrounded by chain- link fences. Members of the House and Senate gathered for lightning-round floor sessions where they swore in new and reelected members amid largely empty galleries and did away with the normal speeches outlining the year’s priorities. Press conferences with lawmakers were conducted via Zoom.

The rest of the this year’s session, which concludes April 29, likely will have a similar tone.

“The House is going to operate like a laser beam this year,” said House Speaker Scott Saiki.

There also is concern that the Capitol could be vulnerable to a vehicle attack. That possibility has prompted House and Senate leaders to look at bolstering security.

“The state Capitol was designed to be open to the public,” Saiki said. “But in this day and age we have to make some adjustments to protect people’s safety.”

Once temporary barricades around the Capitol go down, new permanent concrete planter-type barriers could be installed around the Capitol this legislative session to deter a vehicle attack.

The announcement that the Capitol could be blocked by permanent, concrete barriers — perhaps during the current session — was celebrated by state Rep. Gene Ward, one of just four Republicans in the House, who has been advocating for tighter Capitol security for years.

“Hallelujah,” Ward told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser after being informed of the comments by House leaders.

“It’ll prevent somebody from crashing in,” Ward said. “It’s been long standing that we are as open and naive compared to any other (capitol) in the nation,” Ward said.

The public is expected to be barred from the Capitol through the rest of the session as vaccines for the coronavirus are slowly rolled out. Public testimony will be conducted remotely.

Meanwhile, the ramped-up security at the Capitol could become a long-term fixture.

Top lawmakers spoke largely in generalities about their legislative priorities this session. Leaders in the House and Senate expressed frustration that Gov. David Ige’s administration hasn’t provided more details about its budget proposals, including any proposed tax hikes.

The state is facing a roughly $1.8 billion budget hole as a result of declines in state tax collections. State officials hope that the federal government will provide a needed bailout, otherwise it likely will have to make harsh cuts to the budget and furlough government workers.

Senate President Ron Kouchi said he was waiting to hear more from Ige in his State of the State speech on Monday before commenting further on budgetary priorities.

Kouchi said the Ige administration was short on details during budget briefings before the money committees these past two weeks. He said he is hoping Ige will provide a “clear plan about where he sees us going and not just stopgap … kicking the can down the road” policies.

A spokeswoman for Ige said the governor will continue to work with the Legislature “as the state’s financial picture changes” and will present his legislative package on Monday.

Kouchi said the state needs to focus on diversifying the economy away from its dependence on tourism. As examples he cited the cultivation of hemp and using federal funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to invest in local manufacturing of personal protective equipment.

He said that while the economy bounced back quickly after the last major economic downturn, he didn’t expect that to be the case this time.

“That simply isn’t going to happen,” said Kouchi. “And it seems quite clear that the residents of Hawaii do not want to see another 10 million a year visitor arrivals as the way our economy improves. They would like to see something that is more sustainable, which will require us to make investments.”

Beyond budgetary issues, Kouchi said the Senate also would be focusing on long-standing priorities such as climate change issues, energy independence, affordable housing and services for the homeless.

Saiki said the House will be focused this session on the economy, budget and public health, including making sure that sufficient infrastructure is in place for coronavirus contact tracing, testing and vaccinations. House leaders are looking at ways to restructure government to make it more efficient and reduce costs.

House Finance Chair Sylvia Luke said she is also looking at eliminating special funds and scooping their unspent balances to plug the budget, as well as increasing fees for visitors to increase state revenue. House leaders are looking at a fossil fuel tax on rental cars and tourist fees at public parks.

As for increasing taxes for local residents, House leaders signaled that would be a tough sell given how much working families are struggling.

“We cannot tax ourselves out of this,” Saiki said.