Join Lynn Finnegan

Representative Finnegan in the News

Honolulu Advertiser

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

"This legislative session, in the face of the worst fiscal and economic crisis in our state's history, the people of Hawai'i..."

State Republicans Claim "Yes" Title

April 18, 2010

"When a sit-in at Republican Gov. Linda Lingle's office loomed for Save Our Schools members..."

Activists Defend Their Motives

The House Republican Balanced Budget: No New Taxes, Funding Furlough Fridays, and Ensuring a Sustainable Safety Net

The budget that will be presented today supports House Republicans' previous claims that the Legislature can say no to "job killers" that will only slow our economic recovery while preserving core services for our most vulnerable.

In short, our budget will:
   • Provide up to $92 million to end school furloughs
   • Restore House cuts to services for children and adolescents
   • Add funds for Kupuna Care, public libraries, agriculture inspectors and more
   • Generate revenue without tax increases

Revenues

Expenditures
HB 2200 Operating Budget Proposal
Summary

Dead on the Deadline

Media Release
Honolulu – Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The legislature gave HSTA/DOE/BOE and the Governor a deadline of April 12th to come up with an amount to end Furlough Fridays. The deadline was extended to April 14th. There is a $30 million disagreement between the two sides. "The odds are that the Governor and the HSTA will not come to an agreement by the extended date," said Finnegan. The Republicans agree with the Democrats to use the Hawaii Hurricane Relief Fund (HHRF) however, there are three major differences between the two proposals.

The House Republicans' plan to get kids back in school
   1) Borrows instead of raids money from the HRF
   2) Pays back the HRF before the end of their 6 year financial plan
   3) Provides funds up to 92m.

By law, the Governor controls releasing and restricting state monies. By appropriating up to $92m, the Governor can release the agreed upon amount when all the parties conclude negotiations.

Today the House Republicans offered their version of a 6 year financial plan including full details on their plan to balance the state's budget. "This budget plan does not increase taxes on individuals, families, and businesses and funds state priorities like ending Furlough Fridays for students," said Finnegan.

Details of the Republican Budget and 6 year financial plan can be found at http://www.gene-ward.com/budget/ .

LIST OF ESSENTIAL AND NON-ESSENTIAL D.O.E. EMPLOYEES

DOE Essential Employees

DOE Non-Essential Employees

SPEAK UP DOE!

Media Release
Honolulu – Thursday, April 1, 2010
"I'm very disappointed that the HSTA leadership, BOE, and DOE allow the general public, parents and classroom teachers to believe incorrect information," said Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan.

During the collective bargaining process in November 2009, the DOE submitted a list of essential and non-essential employees to the Governor's office. Governor Lingle adopted this list provided by the DOE to come up with her plan to end furlough Fridays.

"I'm hearing that teachers are under the impression that front office staff, nurses, cafeteria workers, special education assistants, janitors and security are on the non-essential employees list. This is simply not true," stated Finnegan.

Librarians were on DOE’s non-essential employee lists. The DOE decided that these positions were not critical to re-opening a school. “There was a Librarian at Kahala Elementary School who retired 3 months ago and has not been replaced yet. The Governor's plan only has Librarians out for one day out of every 15 or so days," said Finnegan.

The lists of essential and non-essential employees were based on the criteria of whether a substitute must be found to replace a person when that individual calls in sick. If a substitute is required, then a person is deemed essential; if a substitute is not required, then the school can operate without them for one day. These same criteria were used in negotiations with HSTA. “A school nurse is essential; a curriculum analyst sitting behind a desk on Punchbowl Street is not,” said Leader Finnegan.

Attached are the lists of essential and non-essential workers according to the DOE. It can also be found at www.repfinnegan.com along with previous media releases on this subject.

Stop Tinkering – Just Fix It.

Media release

Honolulu – Thursday, March 25, 2010 "Tinkering with a broken system is not going to fix it," states Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan. The House Finance Committee will be hearing SB 2570 and SB 2571, bills to create an appointed BOE and an advisory council to select BOE members.

The Republican solution is to create direct responsibility and accountability for student achievement by allowing future Governors to appoint the Superintendent of Education.

"The Mayor's ability to appoint the Chancellor of the D.C. public school system, Michelle Rhee, was what it took for the District of Columbia to make some of the most impressive educational gains relative to other states," notes Representative Finnegan. In the most recent NAEP Nation's Report Card, most states showed no improvement in student performance on fourth- and eighth-grade reading tests administered in 2009. Bucking this trend, D.C. students had an impressive five-point gain since 2007 in fourth-grade reading scores.
Representative Finnegan continues to advocate for an appointed Superintendent of Education that serves in the Governor's cabinet. "For too long, there has been no singular person or entity accountable for the state of our education system; an appointed Board, chosen by a newly-created Board of Education Selection Advisory Council will only continue to obscure direct accountability and hinder true and effective educational reform," notes Representative Finnegan.

DOE Essential Employees Saves $15 Million
Media release
March 26, 2010

Honolulu – Thursday, March 25, 2010 “HSTA, BOE, and the DOE say they are offering a solution to Furlough Fridays. The Governor stated she would not release the $92 million and as far as I’m concerned that is not a solution to bring our students back to school,” said Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan

Wil Okabe, the HSTA President, said that negotiations would cease if their proposal failed. This would leave parents, teachers, principals, and students with 21 Furlough Fridays in place until the school year 2010-2011 is over. The HSTA will vote next Wednesday to approve or disapprove a new supplemental agreement between HSTA, BOE, and the DOE.

“HSTA is treating this as if it is the end of the road. There is more work to be done, but I’m hopeful there can be further compromises to end this Furlough Friday fiasco,” Finnegan said. The difference between essential and non-essential employees in the DOE is $1 million per day. Representative Finnegan continues to advocate bringing back only essential personnel in order to keep the cost of restoring Furlough Fridays reasonable and something the State can afford.

Finnegan said, “We must live within our means. It costs an extra $1 million a day to bring back all DOE employees. It would be irresponsible to continue advocating that we bring back everyone.”

A DOE approved list of essential and non-essential employees was submitted to the Governor’s office during the collective bargaining process. Examples of non-essential personnel include: Complex Area Superintendents, DOE central administrative and clerical workers, librarians, and certain resource teachers. “

“My proposal would reduce the appropriation from $92 million to $77.5 million,” stated Representative Finnegan.

Representative Finnegan in the News

Honolulu Advertiser
March 22, 2010

Republicans Offering Common-Sense Ideas

The Associated Press
March 17, 2010

Hawaii senators revive excise tax hike proposal

Reinventing Government: A Must
HB 2200 HD 1: State Budget
March 08, 2010
Speech by Representative Finnegan

Part 1

Part 2

Mr. Speaker,

I rise with reservation on HB 2200 HD1. The people of Hawaii are looking to us to create an efficient government, define core services, and do everything possible to live within our means. Although I will be supporting this budget, I have reservations as I think we have not done a good enough job at accomplishing the goals that I stated.

All members of this body are aware of the significant budget predicament that Hawaii currently finds itself in. No one disagrees on this point. Mr. Speaker, where the members of this body disagree is their belief of how to best weather this storm. When it comes down to it we really have to ask ourselves whether we're willing to take the appropriate actions necessary by asking tough questions. In short, the Administration has taken steps to reinvent government versus temporarily tinker with it.

As members of the Executive Branch, each Department Director performed their executive branch responsibility by reviewing its own strengths and weaknesses, eliminating redundancies and inefficiencies, and making needed adjustments. Indeed, the Administration performed a programmatic analysis of its own operations, taking into account the resulting impact on services of lay-offs. In the Legislature's attempts to undo the Administration's efforts to become more efficient and reinvent government, we've reversed some of their work because of philosophical disagreements or some think partisan jockeying. Case in point, this measure restores 1,012 positions in spite of the reality that labor costs contribute to 70% of the State's budget. Most of these positions are not funded, but their restoration implies their future potential to be filled. This means that despite the needs that come around when times get better, the Legislature is giving the signal to fill positions from an old plan. This is not reinventing government. Now is the time to really reinvent and reform government versus temporarily tinkering with it to achieve the façade of reform.

Departmental leadership is closest to the everyday running and management of the executive branch. Often, when this Administration and its Departments try to innovate or streamline their delivery of services and programs, the legislature has an immediate gut reaction. The Department of Human Services epitomizes the Legislature's often negative knee-jerk reaction to reinventing government. Nationally, Director Koller has been honored for her work as Governing Magazine's "Public Official of the Year." DHS has made a genuine effort to increase the quality of services and care while reforming the bureaucratic red tape that can often hamper the agency's mission.

There are a few strong criticisms of the Department of Human Services and the management decisions of Director Koller. The criticisms center around two programs, the Eligibility Processing Operations Division (EPOD) reorganization and the Child Welfare Services division. These two divisions service people in our state who are considered some of the most vulnerable. I am going to focus on these two areas as examples of how difficult it is to re-invent and create an efficient government.

Upon careful review of the proposed RIFs in this area that handles the EPOD program, I have come to the conclusion that we are making the wrong decision by restoring these positions in the HD1. One would think that eliminating positions in these areas would lessen services. I’m going to take the time to explain why the opposite is true.

Over the weekend I read the “Program Acccess Toolkit” for 2010 provided by the federal government, a guide for States Agencies on Improving Access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP. The guidebook focuses on eligibility and access for this program.

EPOD opponents are saying that customers could no longer receive in-person help when applying for benefits. Not true. Customers could still receive in-person help on all Islands from DHS staff and community partners. Customers would have the added options of applying online or by phone, which will make it faster and more convenient to apply.

EPOD opponents are saying that customers would get trapped in an automated phone system. Again, not true. Customers who call DHS would speak directly with an eligibility worker, just as they do now. Customers could also communicate with eligibility workers via a Webcam, if they prefer. The federal government encourages phone interviews for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

EPOD opponents are saying that fraud would increase if interviews are not conducted in-person. Again, not true. The federal government points out that telephone interviews in the SNAP program have not produced increases in fraud, contrary to a common myth. In fact, a customer's telephonic signature (a voice recording) is considered more reliable than an electronic signature.

HGEA and certain Legislators are opposing EPOD because it would mean the loss of around 230 public sector union jobs. These positions would no longer be needed because EPOD would significantly improve the workflow in processing applications.

It is unfortunate that some union workers would face layoffs. However, we must remain focused on the prime mission of delivering benefits and services to customers as quickly and efficiently as possible.

EPOD would also generate significant cost savings for taxpayers during the worst economic downturn in State history. That would free up money to be used for other important needs.

This past Saturday there was an opinion editorial on this EPOD program stating that “Hawaii can no longer afford a ‘horse-and-buggy’ government that is labor-intensive, costly, and slow” and also states “Reform comes with a price. In this case, her proposal would close 31 offices and eliminate 230 jobs, while retaining 289 staffers. That is making her unpopular among those who would lose their jobs and the Hawaii Government Employees Association, which represents them.” Speaker, I would like to ask permission to insert this article into the journal.

The committee report also finds that DHS has used questionable judgment and quotes an article about consultant, SANDIE HOBACK. The media article this report cites is a small, online publication and they quoted a long-term welfare recipient who doesn’t like how the system works. That is no basis for calling the consultant’s competency into question. She is a nationally respected consultant who has helped many states upgrade their human services. This consultant helped Director Koller develop the SEE Hawaii Work (Supporting Employment Empowerment) program that was launched in 2005. Nearly 2000 welfare recipients have participated. 921 completed their SEE assignments and 783 or 85% have successfully obtained unsubsidized employment – many of them for the first time in their lives – and are no longer on the welfare rolls.

The second area and example of major disagreement is in the Child Welfare Division. Under Director Koller’s leadership and management the number of children in state foster care has decreased by 50%, from about 3000 in 2003 to 1400 children today – the lowest number since 1993. More importantly, Hawaii now has one of the lowest rates of child re-abuse rates in the country. Prior to implementing this new direction in 2003, DHS removed children from their biological families at up to four times the national average with no improvement in their safety. The HD1 reverses the nationally recognized strategy that was implemented by Koller by cutting purchase of contract agreements that provide prevention services that are proven to keep children safe. Remember former Rep. Mike Kahikina and the cries for help as kids were being ripped from their home.

So let’s address some comments in the committee report.

Caseloads Have Not Quadrupled

• Child Welfare Services (CWS) caseloads have not quadrupled, as claimed in a House Finance Committee report.

•The CWS intake data shows about a 20 percent increase in referrals being assigned for investigation, but that is nowhere near a 400 percent increase, as stated in the House report.

• More significantly, child abuse or neglect was only confirmed in about 38 percent of the investigated cases.

• In other words, no safety issues were identified in 62 percent of the investigated cases, so these cases were closed and do not require further CWS intervention.

• DHS reviewed intake data in February 2010 and found that many of these cases did not have safety issues that warranted an investigation. These reports should have been responded to by community providers.

• Part of the problem was that some CWS employees were not applying our standardized intake and assessment tool correctly.

o This tool – which determines the most appropriate response to a report of abuse or neglect – was developed by DHS with support from the Federal Administration of Children and Families, in partnership with the National Resource Center of Child Protection.

• Another reason for the 20% increase in investigations was the Family Court’s bypassing of CWS triage procedures.

• These court-ordered investigations, which stemmed from temporary restraining orders and divorce proceedings, should have been addressed by providing family strengthening and voluntary case management services. Investigations were not appropriate.

CWS Investigations are Timely

• For CWS cases assessed as having safety concerns, investigations should take place within two working days from the time the intake is assigned to a unit for investigation.

• For cases that are not assessed as having safety concerns, investigations should take place within five working days.

• In fiscal year 2009, CWS conducted a face-to-face contact for all cases assigned for investigation within 3.72 days – a significant improvement from the 15 days between the acceptance of the report and face-to-face contract in FY 2002.

• The volume of intakes assigned for investigation without safety concerns, plus the unexpected retirement and departure of employees, are having an impact on the current CWS response time.

• However, CWS is looking at strategies to ensure appropriate assignments by intake workers and to decrease assignment of intakes that can be triaged or do not require an investigation.

CWS Positions Should Not be Restored by Decreasing Contracted Services

• CWS would appreciate more staffing, but taking services away from families and children to fund staff positions is the wrong approach.

• In July 2003, Hawaii’s results from the first Federal Child and Family Services Review (CFSR), a federal audit of state’s child welfare systems, were dismal.

• A major finding was that Hawaii removed children from their biological families up to four times higher than the national average without meeting safety outcomes.

• Furthermore, many of these children were returned to their families within 100 days, meaning they should not have been removed in the first place.

• To address these problems, Hawaii launched an aggressive, federally mandated Program Improvement Plan (PIP) for CWS.

• One of the improvements was the implementation of a Differential Response System to better assess each report of child abuse or neglect and then determine the most appropriate, most effective and least intrusive response by CWS or a community partner.

• CWS also expanded its partnerships with community groups to expand the array of services to support and strengthen families.

• Because of the PIP, Hawaii passed all six national standards, which are: Recurrence of maltreatment, incidence of child abuse and/or neglect in foster care, foster care re-entries, length of time to achieve reunification, length of time to achieve adoption and stability of foster care placement.

• More importantly, CWS has safely reduced the number of children in foster care to a 16-year low. The number dropped from about 3,000 children in 2005 to 1,400 currently.

• Hawaii also has one of the nation’s lowest rates of child re-abuse, meaning our children are among the safest in America.

• It would be counterproductive for the Legislature to cut CWS purchase of service contracts, which have significantly helped at-risk families.

• These programs include: `Ohana conferencing, youth circles, family finding, family strengthening, comprehensive counseling, child protective multidisciplinary team, sex abuse treatment, Neighborhood Places, domestic violence shelters, teen shelters, substance abuse assessment and monitoring, training and support of resource families, recruitment and training of adoptive families for difficult to place children, and fingerprinting of resource families.

• These contract cuts would impede the ability of CWS to minimize foster care placements and to reunify families, as required by federal statutes.

• Hawaii stands to lose $35 million in federal Title IV-E funding if the Legislature cuts these community-based services.

• Without an adequate array of services for at-risk families, an increasing number of children will be removed unnecessarily from their biological parents. That happened previously when services were slashed.

o In 1995 and 1996, when purchase of service contracts were decreased significantly, workers were not able to refer families for services to prevent removal by ensuring the children’s safety in the home.

• Unnecessary removal is harmful to children and is contrary to national best practices.

• Without adequate services, even a fully staffed CWS would not be able to ensure the safety of children and comply with state and federal requirements.

• As a result, Hawaii would be at risk of losing federal funds, and possibly facing costly legal challenges similar to the Felix case, when families are not provided access to necessary services.

Mr. Speaker, as you can tell, my perspective is much different than those of the majority.

BONDS
I agree with the comments on our bond rating as stated in the committee report, but would like to put them in context of the broader national happenings. Due to the unprecedented challenging fiscal times experienced across the globe and our country, many states are also receiving negative outlooks by bond rating agencies. Hawaii has still remained favorable in the eyes of investors as Director Kawamura sold more bonds than expected, 500m instead of 312m, during its last bond sale.

POSSIBLE ADDITIONAL BUDGET CUTS
However, it would not be fair to just criticize and not offer other areas that the Minority caucus could suggest for cutting.

MEDICAID BENEFITS

Mr. Speaker, in these hard times we need to make hard choices. We should be looking at curbing our expenses in Medicaid. I understand that not everyone has the benefit and luxury of being able to work and we need to provide help and services to these people, but Mr. Speaker on that same token we cannot continue to furnish unlimited health coverage, through Quest, to able bodied adults. To not look at reducing costs by changing unlimited coverage to reasonable and still generous health coverage is not responsible. The Department of Human Services is recommending that those on Quest receive the benefits of those in Quest Ace/Net which would result in approximate savings of 78 million dollars.

Comparatively speaking, both public and private workers are experiencing these changes to their benefits and costs. Mr. Speaker, in these hard times we are reducing benefits for our State employees, increasing their cost of premiums, and reducing the amount of money they take home through furloughs. However this body has continually fought the Director on these changes. The truth is Mr. Speaker this change will not take away all the benefits, but curb some of the out of control spending in Quest for non-pregnant and able bodied adults. We are not suggesting that we make these changes to the Quest Expanded Access program for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled. We are just asking that able-bodied Quest recipients join in with our State Employees and Private sector employees and absorb some of those cuts. We are asking them to help us to live within our means just like we are asking of our State Employees.

Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division (HiOSH)

The Federal government and state government both regulate workplace safety, this is redundant. If we get rid of HiOSH, the federal government will continue to regulate workplace safety through OSHA. 25 states already do without a state workplace safety regulatory body, letting the feds do the regulating.

I have friends in that agency, and many of you do too. But this is the time for hard decisions, and redundancy in government is an area we should be looking at to cut. Eliminating this office would result in savings of approximately $9,743,897 in FY 2011, and every year beyond.
For comparisons sake, this is almost the exact amount of money needed to fund the DISH appropriation bill that we just passed out of the House last week.

Office of Language Access (OLA)

Since its inception, the Office of Language Access has fallen short of its mandate, not promulgated the necessary rules to effect its purpose, and has suffered budget and position cuts by past legislatures.
More importantly, there is no federal mandate to do this service, simply an aspiration. And while it is a good aspiration, the Department of Human Services is fulfilling the aspiration on its own, without the OLA. And so can other departments and divisions.
If we haven't fully funded them in the past, there is no need at this time to continue the office. Eliminating OLA would save us approximately $305,029 in FY 2011, and every year beyond.

State Health Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA)

This is the agency responsible for the Certificate of Need program, and in years past, we have advocated for its demise, the program and the agency. 14 states have repealed this outdated program, and more are debating its demise. Because of our health care market, I would believe that private entities would apply just as much scrutiny, if not more, when it comes to the purchase of new medical technologies and equipment.
Eliminating SHPDA would save the state approximately $670,741 in FY 2011, and every year beyond.
The total savings from the cuts called for by just these 4 ideas equals $14,586,446 in FY 2011, and every fiscal year thereafter. Another way of looking at it is that we could save $555.5 Million over the current 6 year financial plan.

Mr. Speaker, Change is difficult to accomplish, but it is something we must do. We still have the second half of this legislative session to go. I hope that we can continue to look for ways to reinvent and create a more efficient government.

Opponents Question Upcoming Furlough Fridays

As students face another furlough Friday in two days parents are more and more frustrated and so are their elected representatives.

Opponents Question Upcoming Furlough Friday

Hawaii students are caught in the middle as the Legislature tackles a host of reform bills

House Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan favors the governor's plan as the first step toward eventual decentralization because it defines clear responsibility.

"You cannot get reform, or even a direction toward reform, if you continue to operate in a system where there is no accountability," she said.

A charter school parent, Finnegan wants all public schools to have more control over their own budgets, describing the current weighted student formula as inadequate.

Hawaii Students Are Caught In The Middle as the Legislature Tackles a Host of Reform Bills

Moanalua Elementary Visits the State Capitol

On February 1, 2010 the students of Moanalua Elementary visited the State Capitol. During their visit at the State Capitol, students took a tour of the capitol and were introduced on the floor by Representative Finnegan.

Rep. Finnegan Urges Citizens of Hawai'i to Help the Children of Hawai'i

Time to STAND UP AND ACT for our KEIKI!

I believe that we have a great opportunity to make effective changes to our state educational system that will result in a better education for our keiki. Unfortunately, the Democrats have excluded the Lingle-Aiona proposals that best represent clear and direct accountability. We should not stand for these arrogant tactics. Given that the Democrats have control of the scheduling, our best response at this time is to push for the language from our proposals to replace the language in the bills being heard tomorrow by proposing amendments.

I am asking for your support by testifying on bills to be heard TODAY, February 1, 2010 on education governance.

HB2552 RELATING TO EDUCATION GOVERNANCE - Establishes accountability for public education by making the Department of Education a cabinet agency headed by a superintendent appointed by and responsible to the governor of the State of Hawai‘i.

HB2553 PROPOSING AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAI‘I TO MAKE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION A PRINCIPAL DEPARTMENT OF STATE GOVERNMENT - Allows the voters of Hawai‘i to decide in November 2010 whether they would like to abolish the elected Board of Education and make the Department of Education answerable to the governor and headed by an appointed superintendent.

Hawaii’s public school system sorely lacks direct and clear responsibility and accountability. Decade after decade the legislature has promised to change public education and each time enacted fake reform. In an article in the Honolulu Advertiser 1/29/10 entitled, "Hawaii's school board needs to be fixed, say three ex-governors", Governors Ariyoshi, Waihee, and Cayetano state all the problems that Republicans have fought to fix for years. Unlike the previous Governors, the elected Hawaii Republicans are pushing for more direct accountability.

Below is sample testimony for HB1988, HB1989, HB 2177, HB 2178, HB 2376, HB 2377, HB 2424, HB 2428. All of these bills call for changes to the Board of Education and are on the agenda for today.

Submit email testimony to EDNtestimony@Capitol.hawaii.gov by TODAY, January 31, 2010.

Late testimony will be accepted until the Committee on Education hears the bill.

****SAMPLE TESTIMONY begin***

To: COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, Rep. Takumi, Chair & Rep. Berg, Vice Chair

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, REGULAR SESSION OF 2010

Testimony for: HB1988, HB1989, HB 2177, HB 2178, HB 2376, HB 2377, HB 2424, HB 2428

DATE: Monday, February 1, 2010

TIME: 2:00 p.m.

PLACE: Conference Room 309, State Capitol, 415 South Beretania Street

Dear Chair Takumi, Vice Chair Berg, and members of the Education Committee,

Hawaii’s public school system sorely lacks direct and clear responsibility and accountability.

Your committee is reviewing many bills on education governance but is failing to consider the ideas contained in the Lingle-Aiona package. Please gut and replace HB 2177, HB 2376, or HB 2424 and replace it with the contents of HB 2553 in its entirety. Also, please gut and replace HB 1989, HB 2178, HB 2377, or HB 2428 and replace it with the language of HB2552 in its entirety.

Of all the bills being heard today, I believe the suggestions in HB 2552 & HB2553 would help students, teachers, principals, parents, and community members to know who to hold accountable in our public education system. I am not in support of measures that make our public education system more convoluted than it already is.

I would also support the language found in HB 2376 that states “restructure the department of education to ensure that it is decentralized in a manner to promote student growth and achievement and greater accountability, monitor and protect student rights provided by law” but give this authority to the Superintendent under the governance structure of HB 2552 and HB 2553.

***ADD ADDITIONAL COMMENTS HERE***

Sincerely,

**Name and Address**

*****End of Sample Testimony*****

Rep. Finnegan Uses Correct Figures

Representative Finnegan was accused by the BOE blog spot for falsifying numbers.

"Here are some inaccuracies found in opening day speeches, followed by a correction:

From House Minority Leader Lynn Finnegan:

ʻDespite the $2 billion we spend on education, the current DOE system continues to favor adults above students.'

Correction: The DOE budget for fiscal year 2011 is $1.66 billion, including all means of financing and federal economic stimulus funds."

Representative Finnegan's Response to BOE blog spot

"The BOE is playing a game, misleading the public, and ignoring reality in its critique of my Opening Day Speech. In all actuality, the cost of education in Hawaii includes the sizeable costs of medical and retirement benefits for Department of Education (DOE) employees as well as the costs of the Department's debt service. For instance, those expenses amounted to $644 million in FY10 and $673 million for FY11. The accounting for these expenditures began under Governor Cayetano, and they were included as part of the DOE's budget.

The Legislature's money committees in the 2009 Legislature technically shifted those expenditures away from the DOE to B&F for accounting purposes. As a result of that move, DOE's budget shows $1.6 billion only on an accounting balance sheet. But in reality, the sum total of the money expended by taxpayers on all education-related expenses is more than $2 billion."

Original story found at Hawaii BOE Blog

Rep. Finnegan in the News

THE 26TH HAWAIʻI LEGISLATURE

Who's Who in the House
Lynn Finnegan (R) 32nd: Mapunapuna-Aiea Minority Leader Member: Finance; Health; Interim Task Force on Standards of Conduct Room: 328; office: 586-9470; ...

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WOMEN LEGISLATORS 2010

National Conference of Legislators

Representative Lynn Finnegan (R). Senator Colleen Hanabusa (D). House Minority Leader. President of the Senate. Idaho. Senator Kate Kelly (D) ...

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TIME TO REASSESS CORE GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONS

State Budget Shortfall

By Lynn Finnegan | Posted: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 12:00 am | (1) Comments

Although there are signs of hope that the worldwide recession...

Representative Finnegan's Opening Day Speech

"Welcome Lt. Governor and Mrs. Aiona, Speaker Say, members of the House of Representatives, and all of you who took the time to be here today.

I think it's fair to say that the mantra of the majority of people in this chamber this past year has been "hope" and "change." Your House Republicans agree with the majority! It's time to fundamentally CHANGE the way we do things in Hawaii. The severity of our economic and budgetary challenges leaves us with no other alternative. Failure to change would be just that…a FAILURE. It's time to make a difference in the two main areas that dominate the hearts and minds of Hawaii's people: education and the economy.

Education
We've spent decade after decade trying to figure out how to fix education. Despite the $2 billion we spend on education, the current DOE system continues to favor adults above students. I'm tired of hearing about Hawaii's education being ranked 47th in the nation. And you should be too! We can't fail our children AGAIN. It is time to end Furlough Fridays and other symptoms of our broken system and improve education. We are offering changes to instructional days, DOE accountability, the collective-bargaining process and public charter schools.

All of the legislative measures we will introduce focus on putting students and their needs first. Remember, the fundamental purpose of our educational system is to educate…not just to employ. Furlough Fridays demonstrate that we are not succeeding in our mission to put students first.

Economy/Budget
I believe that all of us want to improve our economy. The primary difference between the political parties lies in HOW we do it. It's a matter of survival – economic survival that doesn’t cause this fragile recovery to crumble. The challenges and hurdles that lie ahead in the path of full economic recovery require prudent decision-making and a long-term vision for sustainable economic growth. Our posture for economic recovery will include protecting residents from higher taxes and a higher cost of living, improving the business climate that includes decreasing the soaring unemployment insurance tax premiums, and promoting job growth measures that shape our vision for Hawaii’s future. The House Republicans are committed to providing that kind of leadership here at the State Capitol. Although there are signs of the economy turning around, the Republican Caucus believes that raising taxes to balance the budget is the wrong decision. We are one of the highest taxed states in the nation. The more we tax, the less our hardworking people and their families have to manage their family budgets. The higher the taxes, the bigger the government. The bigger the size of government, the more it contributes to inefficiency and the more it curtails personal freedom for our tax-paying residents. Answer this question, if we are to raise taxes to deal with the budget shortfall, would we decrease taxes when the economy improves? The answer is no. In times like these, people are looking for ways to be self-sufficient, to succeed. Raising taxes penalizes self-sufficiency and success and is completely counterproductive during a recession. Its time that our state government lives within its means and makes sure that we still fund priorities like instruction days for students.

We can't fix our economic problems by increasing the taxes on businesses. Businesses don't have more money to give to the government especially during these times. Small businesses are the engine of economic growth. Shirokiya's recent announcement of laying off 71 employees in anticipation of the increasing unemployment insurance tax serves as powerful evidence of what businesses will and must do when taxes are increased. One of the fundamental differences between the majority and minority is the recognition that innovation in the private sector grows the economy far better than government can.

Conclusion
Fundamentally, the more you tax people, the more we become dependent on government. The more we become dependent on government, the less opportunity and personal liberty we have. There is the enduring nature of America's promise of opportunity. The continuing immigration to America is powerful testimony that people are still seeking that kind of opportunity and promise, even today. These immigrants are consciously choosing to pursue opportunity, just like my dad and grandparents, and many of your family members before you. We, too, must consciously foster opportunity. The hope of Hawaii's future lies NOT in enabling inefficiencies and dependency. By embracing change and opportunity, Hawaii's best days lie ahead. It's time for things to change. It's time to put students and families first.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker and colleagues; we look forward to working with you. To our guests who made it a point to come and talk story the Republican members wanted me to invite you our offices."

2010 Opening Session

On January 20, 2010, the legislative session opened. This year did not attest to the long standing tradition of opening day at the Legislature. Although most offices did not have food available for all, Representative Finnegan provided light refreshments for all to enjoy. Representative Finnegan encourages all to voice their concerns.

FOCUS ON FINNEGAN SHOW

Tune in to “Finnegan’s Focus” an ‘Olelo program featuring Rep Finnegan discussing various topics of interest. This month Rep Finnegan discusses the parents’ role in Education with Moanalua Elementary School parents Jen Fukumitsu (center) and Alison Inamine (right).

VIEWS Channel 54

1/17/10 Sun 9:00 pm

1/18/10 Mon 10:00 am

1/20/10 Wed 8:30 am

1/23/10 Sat 8:00 pm

1/31/10 Sun 8:00 pm

2/1/10 Mon 11:30 am

2/2/10 Tue 8:30 am

2/3/10 Wed 6:00 pm

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays! During this busy time of year, I wanted to stop for a moment to wish you all a joyous Christmas and healthy, prosperous Happy New Year. We are gearing up for our 2010 legislative session and are ready to serve you. Though the road ahead will be paved with challenges, I look forward to representing you and the people of Hawai'i. Enjoy this festive time with your families and always remember those less fortunate.

Mele kalikimimaka a me ka hauoli makahiki hou! Maligayang pasko!

Aloha! Thank you for visiting our website.

Tune in to Rep Finnegan's 'Olelo tv program "Finnegan's Focus." This month's guests are Moanalua Elementary School parents Jen Fukumitsu and Alison Inamine who discuss the recent classroom incident regarding controversial sex education with Rep Finnegan.

Finnegan's Focus: Education

DATE	DAY	TIME	CHANNEL
1/17/10	Sun	9:00pm	Ch 54
1/18/10	Mon	10:00am	Ch 54
1/20/10	Wed	8:30am	Ch 54
1/23/10	Sat	8:00pm	Ch 54

Article published in the Garden Island: November 24, 2009

Civil unions

Focus should be on the economy

By Rep Lynn Finnegan

One of the most divisive issues in the 2009 legislative session was whether or not the Legislature should approve a bill to legalize civil unions and to make civil unions synonymous to marriage. For transparency sake, I will disclose that I voted against the civil unions measure on the floor of the House.

Here I will comment on civil unions in three areas: should the legislature take up the issue in 2010, Hawai'i's constitutional question voted on in 1998, and the option of making it a Federal law instead of a State law.

For more of this story, click on the link below:

Civil Unions: Focus Should Be on the Economy

Or view the pdf version in the attachments section at the bottom of this page.

Read Mid Week Story (12/9/09 West Oahu News)

To read this story, click on the link below:

Finnegan Named Among Most Influential Woman in US

Or view the pdf version in the attachments section at the bottom of this page.

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