The rap of the gavel will signal the opening of the regular lawmaking session today at the state Capitol, meaning that another season devoted to the people's business will begin.

The question is how long the session will keep its focus on that duty.

If recent history is any guide, the abiding friction between the Legislature and the Capitol's fifth floor should be evident soon after the opening-day niceties end.

Some tension between branches of government is necessary to keep the power of any single branch in check.

But the level of friction that can be glimpsed at confirmation hearings and in discussions of competing bills often amounts to needless posturing. More collaboration with the governor and efforts to seek out the common ground would be welcome.

Among the lawmakers themselves, more cooperation is needed, too. Even without the defection of Republican Rep. Karen Awana and Sen. Mike Gabbard to the Democratic Party, there has been anecdotal reports of frustration over minority lawmakers being shut out from any meaningful role in shepherding bills into law.

In this kind of partisan environment, it's the voters who ultimately pay the price. Closing ranks around the majority leaves the voters who elected minority members without fair access to tax dollars and benefits of good government.

Beyond partisan issues, ethics is an ongoing concern. Legislators are not covered by state conflict-of-interest law but only by internal rules.

This week, the state House has taken a step toward improving ethics oversight, but it's far too small a gesture. Leaders have agreed to create a new House ethics panel. The six-member committee would be evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans.

While that's a rare show of bipartisanship, even a balanced panel can only provide self-policing. What is needed is a separate agency providing the oversight. The Ethics Commission could perform that function, although it would take a constitutional amendment to make it so.

If anything, the commitment by state House leaders to self-police can only serve as an interim improvement. Unfortunately, the Senate hasn't even taken this small step.

Finally, in the interest of openness in government, the Legislature ought to bring its own deliberations into compliance with the state Sunshine Law, from which it is now exempt. It is pointless to claim that we champion government "by the people" when lawmakers can so easily schedule hearings without adequately notifying the public.

A report by the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's Public Policy Center concluded, "one clear point of consensus that the Legislature at least should adopt rules promoting more sunshine, especially regarding notice and decision-making."

In the coming weeks the legislative agenda will become clearer, as available revenues are measured against the wishlists brought to the Capitol. While that takes shape, the people's elected leaders must find ways to keep the doors open to the public. The way politicians conduct business, as well as the substance, affects the public's trust and its desire to participate.