FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 6, 2001 		Contact: Rep. Marcus Oshiro
Tel.: 586-8505




HOUSE, SENATE TO INCREASE PUBLIC ACCESS TO BUDGET WORKSHEETS




HONOLULU -- House Speaker Calvin K. Y. Say said today that the House and Senate have agreed to expand public access to the working documents that are used by the money committees to craft their respective budgets. The documents, better known as "budget worksheets," will be available for public review and copying beginning Thursday, April 12.


The worksheets have recently been misrepresented in the media as being clouded in secrecy. "I hope that this ends this false accusation once and for all," said House Majority Leader Marcus Oshiro. "The practice of the House Finance Committee has always been to accommodate anyone who requests to see the worksheets despite the fact that the State Attorney General has determined that budget worksheets are not subject to public disclosure laws unless they are filed with the chief clerk."


However, Oshiro cautioned that the worksheets are merely snapshots of a moment in time and they undergo constant revision. "Serious public confusion could result if conclusions are based on worksheets that may be days or weeks or even hours old," he said. That practical concern was the reason for controlling the copying and disseminating of worksheets previously by the Finance Committee, Oshiro added.


Say explained that expanding public access simply means that anyone who wishes to review the worksheets may do so, but will have to make copies at his/her own expense. The budget worksheets are voluminous documents, routinely comprising 600-plus bound pages, said Say.


Oshiro said he hopes this expanded public service doesn't end up being a disservice. "These worksheets are treated in the same light as personal observations by individual lawmakers -- for preliminary discussion purposes only," he said. "I have a concern that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle will be reluctant to discuss their personal views for fear of it being used against them in public. This could have a chilling effect on the general public discourse so vital in a healthy democracy."


Say also said that he will be organizing a task force that will oversee putting the House budget worksheets online.



#####