Blair: It was similar to the constitutional amendment as far as raising more money. It was a Senate bill to increase the general excise tax by 0.5 percent to steer additional funding to the Hawaii Department of Education and the University of Hawaii. The idea, which has been floated before, was a long shot from the start. The bill did cross over from the Senate, but will not get a hearing in the House, Sylvia Luke, the House Finance Committee chair, decided.