League of Women Voters of Hawaii
Campaign Finance Reform
Campaign Finance Reform Position
| Action to support effective campaign spending controls, limitations on contributions and expenditures, and indirect and direct public financing of campaigns.
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Citizen Rights
| Citizen's Right to Know/Citizen Participation: Protect the citizen's right to know and facilitate citizen participation in government decision making.
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Constitutional Convention
Constitutional Convention Position
| The members of the League of Women Voters of Hawaii, after careful study and evaluation of information, have reached consensus that a state constitutional convention in 1998 is neither necessary nor desirable. Along with many members of the public, League members see many issues that might be addressed by a convention. However, our consensus is the arguments for holding one at this time are outweighed by the reasons for not having one.
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Election Laws and Procedures
Election Laws and Procedures Position
Study on Vote by Mail
| Action to insure that government at all levels pays for special elections; private funds should not be solicited or accepted. Action to support adequate safeguards to preserve the integrity of the ballot used in absentee voting and elections by mail; to insure fairness to all voters, and to minimize the opportunity for fraud. Action to Support Vote By Mail.
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Initiative and Referendum
Initiative and Referendum Position
Study
| Action to support direct or indirect initiative, with a preference for indirect initiative, and petition referendum to give citizens the right to affirm or overturn laws passed by the legislature.
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Judicial Independence
Judicial Independence Position
Study
| Action to support judicial independence as necessary for the Hawaii State Judiciary to operate as a co-equal third branch of government, including preservation of individual constitutional tights, fair and impartial adjudication of legal disputes, and fair and timely criminal prosecutions.
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Legislative Reform
Legislative Reform Position
| Action to support a part-time citizen legislature whose structure and procedures will insure responsiveness, openness and efficiency in government. Action to support a split session, procedures to eliminate duplication of bills, and to limit the number of bills introduced
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Merit Selection of Judges
Merit Selection of Judges Position
| Action to support the merit system of judges through a process that is as free of political influence as possible, which encourages a fair represent ion of gender and Hawaii's diversity of ethnic cultures, and which discourages the domination of judges of one extreme ideology or another.
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Midterm Legislative Vacancies
Midterm Legislative Vacancies Position
| Action to support filling midterm legislative vacancies by appointment, with an individual of the same political party as the person vacating, within a specified and reasonable time period.
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Separation of Powers
Separation of Powers Position
| Action to support the Constitutional separation of powers between the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government including appropriate checks and balances.
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State Constitution
State Constitution Position
| Action to support a constitution which sets forth the basic law: provides the framework of government; is of a lasting nature, yet flexible; and is clearly written and understandable.
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Multi-Family Residential Leasehold
| Action to support mandatory lease-to-fee conversions. Action to support caps on lease rent at time of lease renewal or renegotiation. Action to support the abolition or modification of the surrender or reversionary clauses in future leases for multifamily residential leasehold units. Action to promote energy conservation and research into alternate energy resources available in Hawaii, taking into consideration environmental effect, economic feasibility, and differing conditions on each island.
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Energy
Energy Position
| Action to promote energy conservation and research into alternate energy resources available in Hawaii, taking into consideration environmental effect, economic feasibility, and differing conditions on each island.
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Land Use
Land Use Position
| Action to support comprehensive planning as the basis for land use decisions; public input into the planning process; a device to insure coordination and cooperation between state and county planning; and strict controls on the use of conservation land. (Nationally, League members have built over the last 35 years a sequence of broad positions on Water, Air, Waste Management. Land Use and Energy. The commitment to protect our environment is embodied in the national statement of our intent to "promote an environment beneficial to life through the protection and wise management of natural resources in the public interest." While using the national positions at the state level, we have studied and reached positions on natural resource issues of particular concern in our state.)
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Solid Waste
Solid Waste Position
| Action to support recycling and resource recovery by private industry, with cooperation and support from government. Action to support recycling and resource recovery by private industry, with cooperation and support from government. Action to support requiring a deposit on beer and soft drink containers.
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Health Care
Health Care Position
| Action to promote a health care system for Hawaii that provides access to a basic level of quality care for all Hawaii residents and controls health care costs.
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Violence Prevention
Violence Prevention Position
| Action to support to further the acceptance that domestic violence is a crime in the same way that violence against any member of the community is a crime and should be treated a such. Action to support a coordinated community response to domestic violence and sexual assault that emphasizes victim safety, perpetrator accountability, and preventive education.
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Hawaii Schools
Hawaii Schools Position
| Action to support the public's rights and interest concerning the administration, policy setting, and budget making for the statewide K-12 school system. Action to support the goal of equal educational opportunities for each child, and financing procedures to reach this goal. Action to support the principles of "choice" for students, teachers, parents, and staff as appropriate and essential for improving performance and participation in elementary and secondary functioning and program.
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Juvenile Justice
Juvenile Justice Position
| Action to support a juvenile justice system which provides for the protection of society along with the rehabilitation of juvenile law violators. Action to encourage a greater acceptance by the schools of responsibility in the area of crime prevention. Action to support the concept of the Family Court as the proper place to deal with troubled youth. Action to assure consistency in the juvenile justice system, while retaining the ability of the Family Court to take into consideration the age, level of maturity, and needs of each child before the court. Action to support a waiver to adult court in certain circumstances. Waiver procedures should be based on written guidelines and be applicable only to 16 and 17 year olds. Action to assure that the community provides an adequate variety and number of services for children needing such services, and that any secure youth facility meets at least minimum standards for such facilities.
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CONTINUING STUDIES
GOVERNANCE OF EDUCATION IN HAWAII: Valere McFarland, Chair
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