GOP: Felix Committee Should Focus on State Executive Mismanagement, Not Feds

House Republicans said the Federal Court quashing the subpoenas from the Legislature's Special Investigative Committee on Felix shows the committee needs to focus on investigating the right people.

"The House Republicans support the Felix Committee’s intent to find answers to the issue of special education in Hawaii," said Rep. Galen Fox, House Republicans Leader. "Unfortunately, the first major action taken by this committee shows a clear intent on finding blame instead of accepting responsibility and developing solutions. Republicans said the committee should not have tried to go after practically the only people involved in the Felix issue who have immunity."

"This committee should clearly understand we are here in the best interests of our students," said Rep. David Pendleton, House Republican Floor Leader and Felix Committee member. "Instead of issuing subpoenas for federal level people, we need to be looking at the state level, in the classroom and what we should be doing there to be effective."

Republicans said the committee needs to realize the problem is not with Federal law but in the mismanagement of the Felix decree by the state. "The state has complete control over the consent decree. If there is a problem, it is with the status quo leadership in Hawaii and we need to own up to it," said Pendleton. "The leadership of the committee must go after the gross mismanagement of this issue by the state executive agencies involved."

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