GOVERNOR IGE’S STATEMENT ON THE VETO OVERRIDE OF SB 2077
News Release from Office of the Governor, July 20, 2016
Governor’s Statement:
Our primary concern is and always has been the health and well-being of Maui’s residents and visitors as we work to privatize Maui region hospitals.
We are committed to a successful transfer and transition to a new Maui health care system for all stakeholders, which includes our employees.
However, this transaction must be done correctly for the common good. The concerns expressed in my veto message have not changed. Three areas of concern remain:
- The bill jeopardizes the Employees Retirement System’s tax exempt status.
- The bill does not appropriate funds for lump-sum cash payments for affected employees.
- The bill adds an additional unfunded liability of about $17.2 million to the ERS and $18.4 million to the Employer Union Benefits Trust Fund (EUTF). This puts the state’s long-term financial position, along with its bond ratings in jeopardy. Bond ratings determine what the state pays in interest on borrowed funds.
The next steps for my administration include:
- Conferring with the attorney general to assess and evaluate the impact of the veto override.
- Continuing to work in good faith with the UPW to bring resolution to the federal court injunction and to finalize the details. We are close to an agreement.
- Continuing to work on a smooth transition in order to provide a new system of health care for Maui.
This is an historic, complex multi-stakeholder transformation and we are optimistic that we will resolve all unforeseen issues.
In the interim, I am confident that the existing Maui hospital staff and operations team will continue to provide quality health care services to the people of Maui.
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Legislators: Transition Now on Track for October 1
KITV: "The governor’s office seemed to be focused on resolving one piece of the puzzle which was the UPW lawsuit. Where the legislature for the last few weeks has been asking the governor to resolve all the other pieces at one time. Because of the failure to do that the legislature was in the position it had to act today,” said House Majority Leader Rep. Scott Saiki
"We understand the governor has reached an agreement with the UPW. Once that’s signed we have assurances that there won’t be another lawsuit, and that’s a wonderful day for everyone in Maui county said Maui Senator Rosalyn Baker.
Lawmakers say the bill is now law without the governor's signature and that the transition to a Kaiser Community Hospital should be on track for Oct 1.
(Interesting. How could they possibly know when the 9th Circuit Court will lift its stay? Unless the 9th is just part of the game here. )
read … Resolve all the pieces?
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