Senate Majority Caucus

Sen. Mike Gabbard (D-Waikele, Village Park, Royal Kunia, Makakilo, Kapolei, Kalaeloa, Honokai Hale, Portions of Waipahu and Ko `Olina) introduced two bills this session that would better-inform Hawai`i’s produce consumers.

Senate Bill 3232 prohibits the sale or distribution of any genetically-engineered whole food intended for human consumption that does not have a label conspicuously affixed identifying it as genetically-engineered. The bill contains definitions for “genetically-engineered crop,” “modern biotechnology” and “genetically-engineered whole food.”

Companion bill no. 3233 requires the Department of Agriculture to notify the public of the location of field tests and the production of genetically-engineered plants.

Nina Wu of Honolulu Star-Bulletin recently wrote about the bills.

“These bills are about consumer choice. … People have a right to know what food they put in their bodies and what is happening on our lands and they should be informed,” Gabbard told Star-Bulletin.

By Sen. Will Espero

Attitudes that people are homeless because they lack personal responsibility hinder resolving the problem. But is this attitude accurate? Who are the homeless?

Former Military

Veterans who have risked their lives overseas in defense of our country and its allies make up 26 percent of those who sleep on the streets at night, though veterans are only 11 percent of our population. The trauma of being in the midst of intense danger day in and day out becomes too much to bear. The mental and emotional pain of war and severe sleep deprivation (another effect of war) take away veterans’ ability to function normally. These medical problems prevent veterans from being able to hold a steady job and function well on a regular basis.

The early presence of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan causes some to worry that intense, prolonged and repeated deployments make newer veterans vulnerable to homelessness. Vietnam veterans, in contrast, did not unravel to the point of homelessness until about 10 years after returning home. Vietnam veterans faced social upheaval, job losses caused by manufacturing plants closing around the country and the memories of the horrors of the war. Lack of social and economic support and inadequate or unavailable mental health treatment all combined to create levels of stress that our military couldn’t cope with anymore. (more…)

 
The Senate Printshop has focused more on CD burning and transmitting information electronically and less on printing pages for the 2008 legislative session.

Instead of flipping through loose-leaf binders, Sen. David Ige accesses documents with his laptop during session.

State senators have begun exemplifying their sustainability theme this session by reducing the amount of paper they use. Just days after session began, the Senate clerk’s office released statistics indicating that senators had already used 2.6 million less pages than the previous year. (more…)

Kaua`i High School senior Briana Bailey testified yesterday opposite DOE Assistant Superintendent Randolph Moore on Senate Bill 2166, which she drafted during the 2007 Secondary Student Conference.

High school seniors are among the writers of Hawai`i’s legislation. During a two-day Secondary Student Conference that occurred in November, student representatives drafted resolutions that were made into bills and introduced in the state legislature this session.

Several high school students from Kalaheo, Kailua and Kaua`i high schools were among those who followed their legislation to hearings yesterday before the Senate’s Education and Energy and Environment committees.

Senate Bill 2274, which appropriates funds for a task force within the Department of Education to conduct an analysis and create a school recycling program, passed the hearing with amendments.  

Kaua`i High School senior Briana Bailey was responsible for drafting Senate Bill 2166, which asks for grants for alternative energy utilities on public school campuses. The state Department of Education and Bailey were the only parties to testify during the hearing, and SB2166 passed with amendments afterward.

“It is the Task Force’s hope that this approach will guide all of us as we collectively determine the preferred long-term future of our state,” Sen. Russell Kokubun said.

Hawai`i has a new map for its future. This afternoon, state officials and legislators launched the Hawai`i 2050 Sustainability Plan, which calls each individual to act in the best interest of the state’s economy, environment, social well-being and culture.

“The informed and responsible person can determine what proucts and services are purchased, what kind of energy is used, how much water is consumed and how the environment is managed,” the plan says.

Charts and tables in the plan are based on more than 10,500 resident responses and give a detailed analysis of Hawai`i’s current conditions. 

The plan names these benchmarks to be completed by 2020:

1. Increase affordable housing opportunities for households up to 140 percent of median income
2. Strengthen public education
3. Reduce reliance on fossil fuels
4. Increase recycling, reuse and waste reduction strategies
5. Develop a more diverse and resilient economy
6. Create a sustainability ethic
7. Increase production and consumption of local foods and products, particulary agriculture
8. Provide access to long-term care and elderly housing
9. Preserve and perpetuate the Kanaka Maoli and island cultrual values

Senate Bill 2833 also passed review by the Senate’s Commerce, Consumer Protection and Affordable Housing Committee this morning. The bill names a number of issues that the Sustainability Plan will deal with, including Hawai`i’s deterioration of public infrastructure, lack of affordable housing, a threatened island ecosystem and vulnerability in a global energy market. The goal of the bill is to establish a council that will implement and evaluate the progress of the 2050 plan.

Sen. Russell Kokubun (D- Waiakea Uka, Kalapana, Volcano, Kahuku) introduced SB2833, which is part of the Senate Majority bill package. Kokubun also chairs the Sustainability Task Force, which includes Sens. Gabbard, Menor, Tokuda and formerly included Sens. Chun Oakland, Hooser and Hemmings.

According to Sierra Club’s Hawai`i Director Jeff Mikulina, an incandescent light bulb produces 130 pounds of greenhouse gas per year, compared with 30 pounds from a fluorescent bulb and 12 pounds from an LED bulb.

The Senate Energy and Environment Committee is considering separate bills to eliminate both incandescent light bulbs and polystyrene containers in the state of Hawai`i. The committee heard testimony yesterday from many concerned parties, including the Sierra Club, Hawai`i Foam Products, Hawaiian Electric Co. and the Department of Health. (more…)

 
Hundreds gathered at the Capitol this morning to commemorate 20 years of the state’s Hawaiian Language Immersion program. 

The pilot program opened in 1987, marking the first time in 100 years that instruction in government schools was conducted completely in the native Hawaiian language.

Five University of Hawai`i football players delivered Hawaiian-language speeches. Students cheered as Brad Kalilimoku led them in the team’s pre-game ha`a.

Students from the program met with UH football players.

This morning’s celebration also included speeches from local leaders. Sen. David Ige told students that while he knew the program was a good idea when it started, he never imagined it would be as successful as they all have made it today.

The celebration closed with a performance by the Waimanalo Sunset Band.

The Education and Health committees deferred Senate Bill 2136 yesterday, which would require the Hawai`i Department of Health to give Hawai`i children the option of a vegetarian school lunch. Various community members, including Hesh Goldstein of K-108 Radio and a representative from the Hawai`i Medical Services Association, spoke in support of the bill.

The Hawai`i Department of Education testified that while it supports the notion for the DOH to develop vegetarian meal options, it doesn’t support a law that requires it. The DOE said that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has set standards that are nutritionally sound and that the Hawai`i School Food Authority serves over 100,000 school meals a day that meet those standards. The Department of Health also opposed the bill. Testimony, Late Testimony

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann testifies before three Senate committees on Senate Bill 3213.

Three Senate committees held a joint hearing today to determine whether Senate Bill 3213 will move forward. The bill says that if the city and county of Honolulu does not decide which technology to use for its fixed guideway mass transit system by June 30, the 0.5 percent tax surcharge it currently charges to fund the project will be suspended. The bill also requires the county to award contracts for the technology by Dec. 31.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann testified before the Transportation and International Affairs (TIA), Economic Development and Taxation (EDT) and Intergovernmental and Military Affairs (IGM) committees that while he does not think the legislation is necessary, he appreciates the concern the legislature has over the progress of the mass transit plans. Testimony, (more…)

By Sen. Will Espero (`Ewa Beach, `Ewa by Gentry, Ocean Pointe, `Ewa Villages, West Loch, Honouliuli, Lower Waipahu)

About 800,000 Americans are homeless on any given night.

THINKING

How People Think Matters
How people as individuals think about homelessness, or any social issue, determines:

Whether it will be seen as a problem to be ignored or resolved
Who will be involved in resolving the issue
How the resolution will be crafted
Whether the resolution will be effective in resolving the problem
How much will be spent
How long it will take.

Political will is the willingness or indifference to an issue that determines whether there will or won’t be a government response, or what that response, if any, will be.

For example, warnings about climate change have been discussed for thirty years. Political will has increased as those who heard and were receptive to the warnings have reached positions where they have the authority to exert some influence in the business world or political spheres. Political will has still not yet reached the level where government will take decisive action on the matter, being open to and adopting solutions (except most notably in Portland, Oregon). (more…)

Susan Chandler, a professor from UH-Mānoa’s Public Policy Center and employee in Saunders Hall, testifies in support of Senate Bill 2356 before the Education and Energy and Environment committees.

Saunders Hall is the model for sustainability initiatives on the University of Hawai`i-Mānoa campus. A seven-story concrete building that houses 12 academic departments, research units, classrooms and staff offices, Saunders Hall is also a major user of energy, consuming approximately 2.4 million kilowatt hours annually. At the current cost of approximately 16 cents per kilowatt hour, the annual energy cost of Saunders Hall is approximately $384,000.

To address the increasing cost, Saunders Hall recently conducted a preliminary energy efficiency audit. If Saunders Hall follows the audit’s recommendations, it is projected to reduce or offset its energy consumption by up to 39 percent.

Senate Bill 2356, introduced by Sen. Suzanne Chun Oakland (D - Sand Island, Kalihi, Liliha, Nu`uanu, Pauoa, Pu`unui), proposes an appropriation of $1,024,000 for the University of Hawai`i to finance the audit’s recommendations. (more…)

By Mark Mararagan, office manager for Sen. Hooser.

Instead of a traditional prayer, I would like to tell you a story about my late grandfather, Gil Renti Cruz.

My grandfather came to Hawai`i from the Philippines, recruited as a sugar plantation worker. He ended up on Kaua`i and worked with the irrigation system for the Kekaha Sugar Company, riding his mule deep into Waimea Canyon to make sure the source of water for the sugar fields were flowing properly. My grandfather sacrificed most of his meager pay that he earned by sending it back to the Philippines so that his family could maintain the farm land that they owned. (more…)

State senators who represent Maui have introduced a bill package this session that incorporates the recommendations of the Maui Health Care Initiative Task Force, which was established by Act 219 and enacted in the 2007 session.

The Task Force was created to address problems brought to attention in 2004 with a Hawai`i Health Information Corporation study, “Maui Bed Needs Study, 2005–2025.” The study detailed the need for additional long term care and acute care beds. The bill package also addresses the community’s expressed desire for additional medical services on Maui and a greater say in the health planning process. (more…)

Sen. Norman Sakamoto receives a lei from a child at Kaua`i Independent Day Services Center.

Battling a repair and maintenance cost backlog list of $257 million for the University of Hawai`i system and a Department of Education repair and maintenance cost backlog list of $420 million, the Senate Education Committee will process legislation and hear testimony concerning a number of unique initiatives this session. (more…)

A message from the Senate Public Safety Committee.
By Sen. Will Espero

As Chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee, I am working on many bills to increase public safety in our state. I will highlight several today for your input and comments.

The brutal murder of Karen Ertell in her own home by a 15 year old neighbor rocked our Ewa Beach community on the morning of May 25, 2007. As a juvenile in family court, the killer would have his murder trial closed to the public, and if convicted, be eligible for release by his 19th birthday. The charge of murder means the killer planned out taking the life of the victim before carrying out his deadly, violent act. I believe that when a 15 year old is charged with first or second degree murder, the trial should be held in the public arena, and not behind the closed doors of family court. My proposed legislation would require all 15 year olds accused of murder to be tried as adults, and if found guilty, serve time in juvenile detention, then be transferred to an adult prison upon reaching 18 years old. (more…)