Educate parents, state panel advises
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
An alcohol and drug abuse education program for parents and a moratorium on the general excise tax for food and non-prescription medicine are among the final recommendations of the state Economic Momentum Commission.
The 30-member state Economic Momentum Commission was formed in June by Gov. Linda Lingle to find ways to keep the state's economy growing. It includes representatives from small and large businesses, labor unions, government, the military and environmental, cultural, educational and nonprofit groups.
The report — covering areas from housing and agriculture to host culture and education — was delivered to Lingle last night. It is also being delivered to legislative and city government leaders and policymakers at the state Department of Education and the University of Hawai'i.
The report cited alcohol and drug abuse as a major contributor to the breakdown of the family unit and the poor performance of some children in Hawai'i's schools. Commissioners recommended a pilot education program for parents to help reduce "these risk factors."
The panel also noted that the state is projected to have a "significant budget surplus" in the near term and will have to decide what to do with it. Commissioners recommended lawmakers rebate a major portion of the surplus back to taxpayers, as well as make improvements in "significantly underfunded state infrastructure." The tax rebate could be achieved through a moratorium on the general excise tax for food and over-the-counter medications, the panel said. The tax break is estimated to use about $150 million of the surplus, said Don Horner, president and CEO of First Hawaiian Bank and chairman of the commission.
The panel also recommended closing some schools and consolidating them with others to trim operating expenses and the backlog of repair and maintenance. Proceeds of sales or leases of surplus properties would be invested in upgrading and building other public schools. This would be done through an Education Facilities Revitalization Committee created by the state Board of Education.
The commission also recommended:
"Our recommendations cover a broad range of issues, reflecting the commission's unanimous sentiment that economic growth should not come at the expense of the quality of life of Hawai'i's residents," Horner said. He said the commission incorporated suggestions from the public in its final recommendations.
Horner said the goal of the commission was to "set out a starting point, to suggest priorities for discussion through the political process to follow."
Lingle said the commission has given government leaders the foundation to work together and produce results.
"It will be very difficult for the Legislature to ignore the caliber of the people who produced this report and the time and effort and energy that they put into it," she said.
A copy of the report is available at www.emc-hawaii.com.
Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.
