The State’s Chief Executive addressed a joint Senate and House assembly today in his annual State of the State. HPR’s Wayne Yoshioka reports.
Governor David Ige’s State of the State address covered what his administration has accomplished and what it’s going to do to help ease homelessness, build more affordable housing, educate keiki, protect the environment and invest in highways. But, following his 42-minute speech, he was asked why he did not address the false missile alert on July 13th.
“I made lots of press statements last week and then we had the hearings so we have made corrections to assure that two Saturdays ago will never happen again. You know and we’re moving forward.”
Senate President Ron Kouchi said he felt the false missile alert was important enough to include in his opening day speech last week. He also says the Council on Revenues projected 14-million dollar increase in tax collections is already spent. Kouchi based that on an assessment by Department of Health director Dr. Ginny Pressler.
“Two weeks ago Dr. Pressler issued a press statement that by her current calculations of the federal budget, there’s $12.6M in cuts that DOH alone is expecting and that certainly doesn’t address other departments.”
Senate Majority Leader, J. Kalani English, says he’s looking for funding and new technologie to replace the 8-thousand high priority cesspools for his constituents in Up-Country Maui.
“A cesspool is putting everything in a hole in the ground. Septic system is separating the solids and the liquids and then putting the liquids onto the ground. So, the people in upcountry pointed out the obvious and said if you’re trying to stop Nitrates from entering the water system and you’re still separating water and putting it in the ground, you’re not achieving the goal.”
House Speaker Scott Saiki would have liked to have heard what the governor intends to do to correct the state emergency management alert system and the Thirty Meter Telescope project on Mauna Kea.
“The other area that I was disappointed in was because he did emphasize his focus on STEM, on technology issues, I was disappointed that he did not reiterate his support for TMT.”
For HPR News, I’m Wayne Yoshioka.
