Hawaii nonprofits discuss 2010 policy priorities

During the afternoon session of the HANO mini-conference on Dec. 9, representatives of nonprofit subsectors – agriculture, the arts, conservation, health and human services and nonprofit sector-level issues. Panelists included: Alex Santiago of PHOCUSED, representing health and human services; Marjorie Ziegler of the Conservation Council for Hawaii; Marla Musick of the Hawaii Arts Alliance; Dean Okimoto of Nalo Farms and the Hawaii Farm Bureau representing agriculture; Jeff Mikulina of Blue Planet Foundation, representing conservation, energy resources and sustainability and Lisa Maruyama of HANO, speaking on sector-wide issues.

Jeff Mikulina said Blue Planet’s founder, the owner of the Tetris computer game, started the organization with a mission to end use of fossil fuel on earth. It seeks to create incentives to end oil addiction and has elected to lobby to do so. Its top issues are:

1. Resurrecting a measure to make Hawaii the first state in the nation to prohibit new fossil fuel energy plants.
2. Enacting a carbon fee bill that would place a surcharge on imported petroleum to fund solutions though a clean-energy investment fund.
3. Changing building code standards to create energy-efficient homes by requiring such as solar water heaters that can cut home energy bills in half.

Marjorie Ziegler spoke of two key conservation issues:

1. Protecting conveyance tax special funds – the tax on real estate transfers – that go to the Natural Area Protection Fund, Land Conservation Fund and Rental Housing Trust Fund. These special funds were raided by the Legislature last session and could either be raided again or eliminated.

2. Stopping the influx of invasive species – protecting agriculture, tourism and other interests – by ensuring the funding for agricultural inspectors at ports of entry. There are now 52 inspectors jobs at risk.

Marla Musick said the Hawaii Arts Alliance is working on these issues:

1. Support the State Foundation for Culture and the Arts by preserving the executive director and assistant ED positions, seeking stability and preserving the ability to pull down federal funds.
2. At the City level, rally to prevent elimination of the Mayors Office for Culture and the Arts.
3. On federal level, monitor the ARRA innovation fund.
4. Develop more collaboration with wily, smart and creative nonprofits in other sectors, see where there is overlap and work together to survive.

Dean Okimoto outlined issues of concern to farmers:

1. Getting enough water for sustainable agriculture to make Hawaii more self sufficient.
2. Maintaining the Department of Agriculture and agricultural inspectors. There have been proposals to eliminate the department. There aren’t enough inspectors – 19 new invasive species are faced every year. Hawaii can’t do more organic farming because of the invasions of pests – chemical products have to be used to control them. Foreign imports from Australia and South America aren’t inspected now by anybody. Yet, one bug could wipe out the taro crop entirely.
3. Find funding, such as a piece of the barrel tax, to maintain irrigation systems, formerly maintained by plantations that are now gone.

Alex Santiago spoke for health and human services:

1. Restoring budget cuts. The health and human service sector has seen more cuts than any other sector, including major cuts to Healthy Start, Adult Mental Health and others. These program cuts have placed stress on the community such as higher poverty rates, hunger and unemployment. At the same time, agencies are cutting staff, programs and services. Society might have reached the tipping point where needs are outstripping resources. Most vulnerable and needy aren’t taken care of.
2. Encouraging policy makers to find the resources to fund the services that are necessary through “PHOCUSED Friday” rallies. Not looking at a specific bill.

Lisa Maruyama described sector-level issues:

1. The House Finance Committee will explore repealing GET exemption on contributions and donations to nonprofits. Marcus Oshiro introduced a bill last session and HANO organized testimony against it.
2. Unemployment insurance is rising, since the fund is expected to run out of money by December 2010. Companies have enjoyed a tax vacation, but with the economic recession the fund is becoming depleted and might rise from $90 to $500 or $1,500 per employee. Darwin Ching, director of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, has agreed to do a webinar through HANO and is open to suggestions for legislation. Nonprofits might need to join business to advocate an acceptable solution.
3. Honolulu City Council is looking at repealing the real estate property tax exemption. This affects nonprofits that own their own facilities and those that rent, since landlords enjoy the exemption and might be passing along to nonprofit tenants.

HANO public policy committee is watching these issues and urges members to watch HANO communications, since testimony is often needed op short notice. A Hawaii Policy Portal soon will offer an online tool to track issues, send testimony and follow campaign contributions, Maruyama said.

Nonprofit Conveyance Tax and Legacy Land Trust coalitions are being reorganized. Lea Hong and Mark Fox of the Nature Conservancy are working on the issue to get decision makers to agree not to raid the money in the fund but rather to increase the size of the pot by raising the conveyance tax.

The panelists noted that, given the size of the state budget, nonprofits are fighting over a very small sliver of the pie. Some feel Legislators try to get us to fight over a zero-sum game and make the decisions for them. “If we stood together, we have a lot of clout,” Ziegler said. “[In the past,] once the session starts it’s every man for himself. ... Coalitions are hard.”