We’d like to thank all of the state representatives and senators and staff — especially the staff — for their patience with our many requests for information.

We invite our blog readers to look for our stories on government and politics in the print and online versions of The Advertiser. Please continue to share tips and story ideas.

Although accounts vary, several sources said the dissidents had approached or broken 20 and were negotiating with the seven House Republicans to reach the 26 necessary for a majority. The likely new speaker had they hit the magic number? State Rep. Sylvia Luke, D-26th (Pacific Heights, Pauoa, Punchbowl).

The dissidents have tried before to replace Say but have been outplayed by loyalists close to the veteran Democrat.

The challenges to pull it off Thursday — the last day of session — included convincing some liberal Democrats to align with Republicans and the risk of political retribution to those who publicly side with the dissidents if the move fails on the floor. At least a few Democrats who have been critical of Say in the past said they won’t go along if Republicans are involved.

Without a cushion, the coalition could also fall apart by next session because of House turnover after the November elections.

Superferry executives at first reported $21,960 in lobbying expenses but, after being contacted by the state Ethics Commission, amended the reports to reflect $379,431 in lobbying expenses.

Ian Lind, a freelance writer and blogger who works for state Rep. Lyla Berg, D-18th (Kuliçouçou, Niu Valley, çAina Haina), had written the Ethics Commissions with his suspicions about the accuracy of Superferry’s reports and separate reports filed by the advocacy group National Popular Vote.

Lind reported the new Superferry lobbying figures in his blog on Tuesday and previously reported the amended reports for National Popular Vote.

Dan Mollway, the executive director of the Ethics Commission, said the commission usually asks for voluntary compliance with the lobbying disclosure law before seeking enforcement action. Willful violations of the law can bring $500 fines.

Mollway said the lobbying disclosure law can be confusing but he could not explain the large discrepancies in Superferry’s reports.

“I’m not sure how the requirements were missed,” Mollway said, adding that Superferry was eager to amend the reports after being contacted by a commission staff attorney.

The Advertiser reported last year that Superferry had hired some of the state’s top lobbyists and public relations executives to help the project at the state Legislature and with the media.

“Last year there was a great deal of legislative activity related to Hawaii Superferry which required continuous information updates and production of briefing materials for legislators,” the company said in a statement tonight. “Our initial filing reflected fees paid to lobbyists. We, subsequently, reviewed our expenses and were advised by counsel that lobbying expenses should also include public opinion research and the production of materials that might be viewed by legislators.”

National Popular Vote, a California-based group that wants states to elect the president by popular vote instead of the Electoral College, spent $74,979 on state lobbying between May and December last year, mostly on media advertising. The group had initially reported $7,778 in lobbying expenses for that period.

The Republican governor has 10 days to sign or veto the bill, with the 10th day ending at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, the last day of session.

The Senate clerk’s office explained that the bill reached the governor the day after lawmakers had intended.

House and Senate leaders have not said whether they have the two-thirds’ votes necessary for an override, or whether enough lawmakers will stay late if the veto does not come until the very end.

There has been some discussion about whether the 10 days end at the time-stamp from when the governor’s office received the bill, or at the close of the business day, or whatever.

Of course, state Senate President Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nänäkuli, Mäkaha), has been here before.

The themes: tax relief, medical-malpractice liability reform, taking away the governor’s emergency powers, and restricting the administration’s spending of federal welfare money.

The only Democrat mentioned by name in the letter is state Rep. Tommy Waters, D-51st (Lanikai, Waimänalo), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who has become a target on malpractice reform.

Aiona, who is running for governor in 2010, opens with his characterization of this year’s session:

Lackluster, arrogant, hurtful. These are some of the adjectives used to describe this year’s legislative session. Let me share with you a few examples of why the Legislature has failed our State and how the Lingle-Aiona Administration is overcoming the obstacles put before us.

The letter was addressed to a Colleen W. Hanabusa of Kapolei …

Ian Lind, who works for state Rep. Lyla Berg, described it first in his blog earlier this month. But it has been simmering as the date approaches on Wednesday.

Arlina Agbayani, of state Sen. Lorraine Inouye’s staff, and Micah Young, of state Rep. Sylvia Luke’s staff, were first with their invitation to The Pearl at Ala Moana.

State House Vice Speaker Pono Chong followed with his invitation for an official party for House staff at Hukilau’s Honolulu downtown. “This will be in lieu of the joint senate/house staff party emailed earlier. We apologize for the confusion,” he wrote in an e-mail.

In lieu? Not a chance.

Agbayani said 165 people have bought tickets for Pearl, while Baron Gushiken of Chong’s staff says they are expecting over 200 at Hukilau’s. Both parties cost $25 to attend.

Derrick –

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State departments will get across-the-board spending restrictions. Nonprofits and other social-service providers that rely on grants-in-aid or federal welfare money are being told to do without.

For the past year, as state revenue growth began to fall below projections, the Republican governor has spoken more positively about the economy than majority Democrats at the Legislature, even as her administration has declined to release some money approved last session because of the slowdown.

Lingle said the state is fortunate to still have solid 3.9 percent revenue growth when other states are struggling with the national economic downturn. But lawmakers are not counting on the projection to hold by the end of the fiscal year in June.

In budget negotiations over the past week, House leaders took a hard line on new spending, assuming that projected revenue growth will be lower than expected. The House took a similar tack last session and leaders believe they were validated when the forecasts dropped.

Some in the Senate were frustrated by the House’s reluctance, arguing — successfully in some instances — that lawmakers had promised to make substantial investments this session at the University of Hawai’i and at K-12 public schools and would be held accountable by the public if they did not.

State House Speaker Calvin Say, D-20th (St. Louis Heights, Pälolo Valley, Wilhelmina Rise), drove the House negotiating strategy and insisted that the revenue assumptions be lower than the council forecast.

“I’m a realist. I’m a practical person who is part of the small business community,” Say said today. “I’ll be very candid and honest, a lot of us are being squeezed.”

Say said he is not pessimistic about the state’s economy but cautious because of some of the national and international economic signals, from higher oil prices, home foreclosures, the weakening dollar, and the concern about the availability of food staples such as rice.

“What I’m saying is, `Be careful. Tighten one of the notches in your belt. And see what’s happening,’” Say said. “I’d rather be a realist.”

David Lee, of the North Shore, sent out the blast today complaining about state Rep. Alex Sonson’s remarks at a retirement party Thursday night at Hilton Hawaiian Village for Herbert S.K. Kaopua of the Plumbers & Fitters Local 675.

Sonson, D-35th (Pearl City, Waipahu), the chairman of the House Labor and Public Employment Committee, told the audience the story of how he first met the union leader.

Here’s Sonson’s account:

Last night, I told the story exactly how I met Mr. Kaopua and I used the words and intonation that he used when he said those same words to me.

Recall that last night, I said: “Mr. Kaopua took my hands and said: Sonson! Your’re that f$%&^&* guy?”

He was really upset because he thought that I was helping the electricians to the plumber’s detriment, and that I was too hard on the plumber’s representatives during the committee hearings.

Then I said, “If you want to hear the rest of the story, ask Mr. Kaopua.”

Then, I said, “Electrician bill.”

The plumbers in the room were laughing because they all understood.

Lee, apparently, was not laughing.

In his e-mail, he claimed Sonson embarrassed and humiliated himself and the dignitaries who attended, including Kaopua’s wife and family.

“Alex Sonson deserves some kind of punishment from the House,” Lee wrote. “I don’t know how you do stuff down there at the Capitol, but something needs to be done for what he did.”

Sonson sent Lee an e-mail reply saying he was sorry if he offended anyone. He explained that he told the story because he wanted to show how Kaopua was an honest man who spoke his mind, “not like a politician who beats around the bush.”

Sonson said Kaopua shook his hand and hugged him several times after his speech.

We blogged about some of the young people behind the idea last session. The subject barely came up this session yet is headed for the November ballot.

State Sen. David Ige, D-16th (Pearl City, `Aiea), sponsored the bill by request after several young people approached him. He said he would have sponsored it himself but the young people could not explain why the age should be 25 and not 21 or 18.

“I said, `Tell me why you chose 25.’ And they basically said they thought 30 was too old and they thought 25 was better,” Ige said. “And, I said, for me, if you’re going to do it you ought to go to 18.”

The bill passed the state House on Monday and cleared the state Senate on Wednesday with just two dissenting votes. Only state Sen. Gordon Trimble, R-12th (Waikïkï, Ala Moana, Downtown), felt compelled to speak about it on the floor, mostly because he thought it was poor form for a proposed constitutional amendment to pass without any comment.

“Experience matters, and usually experience is acquired by age,” Trimble said.

Several young people told lawmakers in committee testimony that the bill would help attract the younger generation to the democratic process.

Jason Leue, from Youth Outreach! Hawai’i, put it this way:

To get the youth excited we need a young leader, and to get a young leader we need to give them the opportunity to run for governor.

We need to send a message to the youth that politics isn’t something just for their parents. I think that’s what we’re telling the young adults right now with our age limitation 30 to run for governor.