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Spring 2006 | June 2006 |
 President's MessageThis Year's Education Bills (Mary Anne Raywid)Affordable Shelter (Jackie Parnell)New LWV State Website (Andrea Dean)2006 Freedom of Information Compliance Audit (Jackie Parnell)League Makes it to the Wheel (Jean Aoki)Voter Owned Elections (Clean Elections) (Kory Payne)Education Committee Report (and why political reform...) (Mary Anne Raywid)Never Say it Makes No Difference (Jean Aoki)Court Rules Private Serial Communications Violate State's Sunshine LawMartha Black DiesGambling: Hopefully a Non-Issue This Legislative Session (Judy Rantala)Century of Accountability (Mary Anne Raywid)Prophecy Gone Wrong (Dwight D. Eisenhower)Chapter Reports: Kauai (Carol Bain)Chapter Reports: Honolulu (Jackie Parnell)Chapter Reports: Hawaii (Marianna Scheffer)Chapter Reports: Maui (Joshua Cooper) |
President's MessageThe first quarter of the year is always a busy time for State League because our State Legislature is in session. Because we have positions concerning many varied issues, we have to sort through the approximately 3,000 bills under consideration to become law. Choosing those bills that are most relevant to our concerns, we do our best to follow and testify on them. Jean Aoki is tirelessly following and testifying on a number of "good government" bills, as well as following up on bills to keep the possibility of a universal single payer health care system for our state alive. Heather Bolan, League member and aide to Senator Les Ihara, is extremely helpful in coordinating support for the "good government" issues. Mary Anne Raywid and her Education Committee are following bills which would affect selected aspects of our education system. Grace Furukawa and Jackie Parnell are keeping tabs on the gambling and affordable shelter issues, respectively. As I see it, the major gap in our coverage at the Legislature concerns the environment. I know many of us care a great deal about the environment, but we just haven't yet had someone volunteer to sit on our board and address the environmental issues which may be sneaking past our radar. Call me if you are interested in any of these areas and would like to learn how to lobby for the League. The other area of League action this quarter is sunshine. That is, "sunshine" as in government meetings and records being open to the public - the public whose taxes pay for the meetings held and records collected and stored. Our sunshine victory for open meetings is reported in this issue -- see "Court Rules Private Serial Communications Violate State's Sunshine Law." Our work on all islands for access to public records is ongoing audit of agencies' response to inquiries. Results are not in yet. Watch for news during Sunshine Week, March 12 -18, 2006. Sue Irvine "Justice will only exist where those not affected by injustice are filled with the same amount of indignation as those offended."
League of Women Voters of HawaiiPresident - Sue IrvineVice President - Pearl Johnson Secretary - Carol Bain Treasurer - Diana Cummings Editor - Mary Anne Raywid Board
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