Hawaii Gov. Josh Green on Friday said he may reject 17 bills passed in the Hawaii State Legislature last session.

The possible vetoes include a bill to transfer $300 million to the so-called rainy day fund and to deposit an extra $135 million into the state pension fund. Several other veto targets include legislation that would curb the governor’s powers during emergencies such as last year’s Maui wildfires.

Green called the increase to the rainy day fund “fiscally imprudent” in a statement, as the fund is already “the largest it has ever been” at more than $1.5 billion. Maui recovery efforts, affordable housing and addressing the state’s high cost of living are more important priorities, he said.

The vetoing of House Bill 40 had been widely expected. The governor noted in his veto intent statement that he wants to ensure the state has a balanced budget in the wake of the Legislature’s approval of the largest income tax break in state history this year.

While Green welcomed the tax cut and signed it into law earlier this month, his administration had proposed a far more modest tax break than what is in House Bill 2404. The bill will reduce state income tax collections by $5.6 billion by 2031, according to the governor, and concerns have been raised about whether the state can really afford it.

Green also indicated he may use his line-item veto power to delete sections of House Bill 1800, the $19.2 billion supplemental state budget bill that makes adjustments and requests appropriations for the new fiscal year that begins July 1.

The governor said the cuts are necessary to have “a healthy carryover balance” of more than $300 million at the end of next fiscal year.

And the governor is looking at vetoing Senate Bill 3068, which would allocate $460 million in emergency spending for Maui’s recovery. The administration said the bill “inadvertently zeroes out funding for affordable housing” and would delay the construction of affordable housing for residents.

The budget bill “has sufficient appropriations to support all the wildfire recovery efforts” detailed in HB 1800, the administration said in its statement, and the funds will be redirected to fund Maui recovery needs upon signing of the legislation.

The governor has until July 10 to veto, line-item veto or let a bill go into law that day without his signature. The Legislature can then decide whether it wants to reconvene to override any of the vetoes.

In a brief statement Friday afternoon, House Speaker Scott Saiki said he will meet with his House colleagues “to determine if any of the bills, if vetoed, should be the subject of an override session.”

But Saiki also said it appeared that many of the bills identified by the governor may also be addressed when the next regular session begins in January. Given that the Hawaii primary is less than two months away and most legislators are on the ballot, there seems little appetite to reconvene in Honolulu next month.

As of Friday afternoon Senate leadership had not issued a comment on the veto intent list. The Legislature recessed for the year May 4, although the Senate Judiciary Committee will take up several judicial appointments in special session next week, as is common practice.

Curbing Emergency Powers

Green is also considering rejecting House Bill 2581, which would take away the power of a governor or a county mayor, respectively, to suspend electronic media transmission during a state of emergency or local state of emergency.

The bill was backed by the Hawaii Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Public First Law Center, the Hawaii Association of Broadcasters and Pacific Media Group. The groups and a wide majority of lawmakers argue that HB 2581 would ensure that First Amendment rights would remain protected even during emergencies.

Green said he understands that “during an emergency, communication must be timely, accurate, and well-coordinated.” But he also said Hawaii must “guard against acts of extreme violence or acts of terrorism which can use social media or other electronic media to communicate and activate crowds or destructive devices.”

Senate Bill 2512 also involves emergency powers, but in this case calls for setting up notification and reporting requirements for the spending or use of public resources during emergencies. Lawmakers want to make sure there is transparency in that process, and nearly all of them voted in favor of SB 2512’s passage.

But the administration said a governor needs “the flexibility and support to rapidly execute on key decisions on matters involving the public’s safety.” SB 2581 would impede the governor’s responsiveness and possibly limit the ability to respond to emergencies in a timely manner, Green’s statement said.

A third emergency power bill, Senate Bill 572, would give the state Department of Agriculture the authority to declare a biosecurity emergency. That would allow the department and the governor to take immediate action to prevent the spread of invasive species and restricted organisms.

The Green administration, however, said that — unlike the majority of the United States — the overwhelming majority of Hawaii’s commercial goods move through state harbors. Sections of SB 572 could thus “unnecessarily impact” the flow of goods that communities rely on.

Another biosecurity bill, House Bill 2619, calls for the Department of Agriculture to lead and coordinate the state’s invasive pest control and eradication efforts.

It had seemed Green would support the bill, as it would invest close to $20 million in strengthening Hawaii’s defenses against several invasive species. His own ag department hailed it as “landmark” legislation upon its passage in late April.

Among the bill’s earmarks were $2.5 million for little fire ants response and $1.5 million to take on the coconut rhinoceros beetle. The DOA would also get $3.1 million to fund 44 additional staff positions.

While Green said he strongly supports HB 2619’s intent, he may veto the bill because of concerns over appropriate funding levels that are “feasible and executable” by the DOA.

The deadline to signal the intent to veto was not until Tuesday. But Green will travel Saturday to Minnesota to attend a conference of Democratic governors and won’t return until June 26.

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke will be acting governor during that time.