Senate Majority Caucus

  A state Senate and House conference committee approved a bill on April 25th to ban the sale of state lands and the development of residential housing in HCDA and A&B Properties Inc.’s proposed Kakaako Waterfront development project. The bill, House Bill 2555, was one of many pieces of legislation proposed by lawmakers this session to address concerns over the selling and development of state lands without legislative approval.

Click here for the full article from the 04-27-06 Honolulu Star Bulletin.

  Senator Lorraine R. Inouye, Chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Government Operations, and Senator Will Espero, Committee Vice-Chair, announced plans to introduce legislation next session to ban all passengers from riding in pick-up truck beds. The announcement comes in light of a tragic accident in Kunia on April 24th that resulted in the death of four women who were riding in the bed of a pick-up truck.

Click here for a full copy of the press release.

  Senator Lorraine R. Inouye, Chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Government Operations,  said she plans to introduce legislation to prevent questionable procurement practices by public agencies.  The State Administration recently  partnered with a nonprofit agency to manage private sponsorships for the Governor’s recent trade mission to China and Korea which drew criticism from legislators and the public.

Click here for the full article from the 04-21-06 Honolulu Advertiser.

Click here for a related editorial from the 04-21-06 Honolulu Advertiser.

Legislators posthumously awarded the Hawaii Medal of Honor to service members who lost their lives in the War on Terror in a special joint session of the Legislature on April 18th. A total of 120 service members who were residents of Hawaii, stationed in the islands, attended colleges here, or members of the Hawaii National Guard when they died, received the Hawaii Medal of Honor in recognition of their ultimate sacrifice.

Speaker Calvin Say delivers the opening address for the special joint session honoring Hawaii’s fallen heroes.

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  In an effort to promote public access and provide greater convenience to Hawaii residents, the State Capitol now provides free wireless Internet services to State Capitol visitors. Free wireless Internet access is available in the House and Senate conference rooms, the Capitol Auditorium, corridors along the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors, the Public Access Room and the Chamber hallway. Most wireless devices will automatically detect if their users are within the broadcast area.

Click here for a full copy of the announcement.

  Senator Clayton Hee led the Senate in recognizing local organizations and businesses for their quick response to the flooding caused by recent storms. Senator Hee worked together with City Council Chair Donovan Dela Cruz to coordinate efforts that provided over 10,000 sandbags for residents in flooded windward communities. Those recognized on April 5th included: Pacific Aggregate, Ironworkers Union, Ameron Hawaii, Grace Pacific, Safety Systems and City Mill.

  The Senate Committee on Ways and Means approved landmark legislation on April 3rd that would provide health insurance to all uninsured children in Hawaii. A recent report by the Hawaii Uninsured Project estimates that there were 16,685 uninsured children living in Hawaii in 2005. The bill, HB 3116, creates a three-year pilot program and splits the program’s cost between the Department of Human Services and a private agency.

Click here for the full article from the 04-04-06 Honolulu Star Bulletin.