The House approved the legislation, 232-177, as part of a resolution setting the rules of debate for a separate measure extending the government's borrowing authority. The House vote followed a strong 69-31 vote of approval in the Senate on Wednesday.
Final passage came more than a year after the House and Senate passed differing versions of the measure. Democrats accused the GOP leadership of stalling because of reluctance to give a Democratic president more power. But the deadlock was finally broken earlier this month, with Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole credited with intervening to get action.
The final version basically accepted the House approach. Under it, the president can single out items for veto and return them to Congress, which has 30 days to decide which items it wants to restore. A two-thirds vote in both houses is needed to override the veto.
The line-item veto is needed to deal with Congress' practice of inserting provisions that the president opposes in broad spending bills, knowing that he will be unwilling to veto the entire measure in order to get rid of the provisions he doesn't want. The result is a circumvention of the president's power to limit spending. The tactic has been used to win approval of all sorts of pork barrel items.
Opponents contend that the line-item veto is an unconstitutional and unwise giveaway of congressional power, and a court challenge seems probable. But some such measure has been needed since Congress banned the presidential practice of impounding funds. This is a way to restore the balance of power between the executive and the legislative branches on spending and reduce the budget deficits.
THE Cayetano administration last year tried to gag proponents of no-fault auto insurance by bringing a complaint against State Farm Insurance claiming that its ads were "unfair and deceptive" although the company was clearly within its First Amendment rights. This year trial lawyers and other opponents of no-fault have bought lots of television time here for a commercial blasting the no-fault concept. State Farm, meanwhile, has been silent. In California, the trial lawyers are celebrating a three-pronged victory on ballot questions. Voters on Tuesday rejected measures to ban most lawsuits resulting from car accidents (the no-fault concept), limit shareholder lawsuits and slash lawyers' contingency fees. The Hawaii Legislature should ignore California's bad example. It should strengthen no-fault, not encourage more litigation.
SETTLEMENT of a U.S.-Japan dispute over air-cargo routes is expected to clear the way for direct passenger flights between Tokyo and Kailua-Kona. Earlier there had been considerable doubt on that issue. The agreement is of course particularly welcome for Hawaii, which could become a victim of the wrangling between Tokyo and Washington. A reduction in air service from Japan could badly hurt Hawaii tourism.
Rupert E. Phillips,CEO
John M. Flanagan,Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro,Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang,Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner,Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser,Contributing Editor