FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2001
Contact: Rep. Galen Fox
Tel.: 586-8520




GOP PUSH FOR ELECTED ATTORNEY GENERAL


The House Republicans today used their new-found power to recall a bill providing for an elected attorney general. The Republicans argued that in only five states is the attorney general an appointee of the Governor. Furthermore, electing our attorney general would end any speculation as to whether the attorney general would be responsible to the people, or to just one person.


Representative Charles Djou said, "The attorney general should be responsible to the general public not to the Governor. Passing this amendment would end any speculation that the attorney general's actions might be unduly affected by the fact that he or she is an appointee."


Said Representative Pendleton: "An elected A.G. would be more accountable to the public and less beholden to any politician or set of politicians. He or she would truly be the people's attorney."


The Republicans believe strongly that if such a measure were to be put before the public in the form of a referendum, a solid majority would prefer an elected attorney general. All prior polls have shown this. This is contrary to the claims of Rep. Oshiro (a signatory of the GOP bill!) and Rep. Schatz who claimed on the floor today that this issue is "not on the radar screen" or "not even on the horizon" of the average voter.


The bill died on the House Floor when the Democrat Majority voted the against the measure, however, Republicans know that when this issue is eventually fully heard and debated, the public would be overwhelmingly in favor of an elected attorney general.


Such an amendment narrowly missed being passed out of the 1978 Constitutional Convention (53 nays out of 102 delegates). There has been no Con-Con since then to take action on this necessary change. Both major newspapers have editorialized for years for changing Hawaii's attorney general from a political appointee to a representative of the people. They often cite how law enforcement at the Honolulu City and County level improved after the City Prosecutor became an elected official rather than an appointee of the Mayor. An elected attorney general is just one more idea whose time has come.


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