Editor’s Note: In September 2012, Civil Beat sent six questions to each of the candidates running in the Nov. 6 general election for Hawaii Legislature. The questions and answers are reproduced below in full. Click on each topic listed below to read Civil Beat’s question and the candidate’s response. We’ve also put together a complete list of who’s on the general election ballot.

• General Excise Tax
• Environmental Regulatory Review
• Gambling
• Sunshine Law
• Best and Worst Legislation
• Overlooked Issue

Preferred Candidate Name: Mike Gabbard

Party Affiliation: Democrat

Senate/House District Number: Senate District 20

Date of Birth: 01/15/48

Place of Birth/Hometown: Fagatogo, American Samoa

Current Profession/Employer: State Senator/Small Businessman

Education/Alma Mater(s): B.A. – California State University, Sonoma (1971); M.Ed. – Oregon State University (1980)

1. With the exception for Honolulu rail, the state has not raised the general excise tax in decades. Would you consider increasing the GET to help the state meet its budget demands?

No ↩ back to top

2. Lawmakers proposed relaxing environmental regulatory review to spur development and job growth in the 2012 session, and the issue is expected to resurface next year. Where do you stand?

As Senate Energy and Environment Committee Chair, I’ve been concerned about efforts to fast-track construction at the expense of proper environmental & cultural review and community input. I’ve instead been advocating for legislation, such as Act 172 (2012), which allows applicants and agencies to bypass an environmental assessment and proceed directly to an environmental impact statement (EIS) if the proposed project is likely to require an EIS anyway. This saves time/money without compromising necessary safeguards. ↩ back to top

3. Gambling — are you for it or against it? If not, why not? If so, what type of gambling and with what kind of restrictions?

I join with the coalition of organizations and people across our state who oppose gambling, because of the social problems and crime that this activity would bring. ↩ back to top

4. The Sunshine Law is a hallmark of an open democracy accountable to its citizens. Yet, the Legislature exempts itself from this requirement. Do you support more transparency in government operations, or are there legitimate reasons to conduct some of the people’s business behind closed doors?

I support greater public involvement and transparency in government operations and in the political process. ↩ back to top

5. What is the best legislation — and worst legislation — that the Legislature has approved in recent years? Please explain.

Best Legislation – The state budget bills we passed in 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2012 that provided funding for the new UH West Oahu campus, which opened for classes in Kapolei on August 20th. The UH West Oahu campus is huge for creating higher education opportunities for the people of West Oahu, Central Oahu, and the North Shore. It will also help to reduce traffic congestion along the H-1 corridor.

Problematic Legislation – One piece of legislation from last session I voted against was SB 2858 (Act 176) which makes it so a state or county government agency could challenge an Office of Information Practices decision in court. I’m concerned with how this bill could erode government transparency and public access to government records. ↩ back to top

6. What is an issue that you would champion at the Legislature — one that perhaps has not received much attention, or an issue that is important to your district?

I’ll continue to champion the creation of an on-bill financing program to make energy efficiency devices, like solar water heaters and PV, more affordable. If people were able to pay for these improvements on their utility bills then we’d have a lot more homeowners able to significantly reduce their electricity bills. ↩ back to top