Senate Majority Caucus

Bill’s Introducer Senator Gary L. Hooser Considers Groundbreaking Action “Vital”

Hawaii has become the first state in the nation to pass into law a requirement that all new homes built after January 1, 2010, be equipped with solar or other energy efficient hot water systems. Signed into law by Hawaii’s governor on June 26, the bill’s introducer, Senate Majority Leader Gary L. Hooser (D-Kaua’i, Ni’ihau) said, “Hawaii is almost totally dependent on imported oil for its energy needs and estimates show that, with this law, our oil consumption will be cut by 30,000 barrels during the first year and continues to decline exponentially thereafter.” (more…)

Sens. Inouye, Hooser, Tsutsui and Baker listened to testimony during a Ways and Means Committee hearing last month.

The Senate has released its version of the state budget for fiscal year 2009. The proposal, contained in House Bill 2500, passed a vote on the Senate floor 22-2 Tuesday morning.

The Ways and Means committee handles all of the financial measures that pass through the Senate and has been working for months to prepare the 353-page proposal. According to committee chair Rosalyn Baker, the Senate’s version of the budget takes a prudent approach and reduces the general fund appropriations requested by Gov. Linda Lingle in December by $32.4 million.

Hawai`i’s economy has suffered from the effects of inflation and high oil prices over the past year, reflected most recently by the closures of ATA and Aloha Airlines.

Baker noted in a floor speech Tuesday that the state also has nearly half-a-billion dollars less in general fund revenues this year than it had last year.

“This budget does not create false impressions and should not give rise to false expectations,” Baker said, adding that her committee had crafted a version that sustains investments in education, transportation and health infrastructure, which she said are vitally important to regaining fiscal growth.

Senators and represenatives will meet over the next few weeks in a conference committee to finalize a budget proposal that they will submit back to the governor before the end of session on May 1.

Hawai`i residents found many reasons to immerse themselves in their legislative branch of government today at the state Capitol.

Senate Bill 958, which would impose a 10-year moratorium on developing genetically-engineered taro, drew many supporters to its 9 a.m. hearing in the Capitol auditorium.

Lanakila seniors marched around the Capitol building about one hour later to raise awareness of senior hunger and support for their Meals on Wheels program. Sen. Norman Sakamoto presented them with a certificate on behalf of the Kupuna Caucus.

Legislative Hawaiian Caucus Day invited an information fair, the Royal Order of Kamehameha I and Grammy award winners Richard Ho`opi`i, Owana Salazar, Sterling Seaton and George Kahumoku Jr.

Today also marked the Developmental Disability Council’s 9th annual information day. Senators recognized hundreds of participants from Maui, Kaua`i, Moloka`i, Big Island and O`ahu during session.

The DDC information day is a time for the disabled and their families to learn more about the legislative process and form relationships with their legislators. Kaua`i participants expressed concern over shortages in dental care, health care and affordable housing during a Q & A session with Rep. James Tokioka (Lihue, Koloa) and Kaua`i Sen. Gary Hooser, right.

 
Jeff Mikulina, director of the Sierra Club Hawai`i chapter, asked House committee members to pass Senate Bill 644 because even with existing incentives for installing solar water heating, only 20 to 25 percent of new homes in Hawai`i install systems.

Senate Bill 644, which requires the installation of solar hot water heaters in all new single family residential construction, has returned to life and is moving in the House of Representatives. This bill had passed out of the Senate last year but was stalled in the House by a solid wall of opposition by the Hawai`i Solar Industry Association, the Building Industry Association, Hawaiian Electric Co. and The Gas Company.

This year, with oil prices now hovering over $100 per barrel, interest has been renewed in the measure that is projected to dramatically increase Hawai`i’s energy independence, generate increased economic activity and lower the cost of home ownership.

Industry experts agree that the most efficient and cost-effective time to install a solar hot water heaters is during a home’s initial design and construction. There is also general agreement that new developers installing 1,000 solar hot water heaters in 1,000 new homes can do so far more efficiently and at a lower price than later during an individual homeowner’s retrofit. (more…)

Chipper Wichman of the National Tropical Botanical Garden on Kaua`i asked the Legislature for Grant-In-Aid help during Wednesday’s hearing.

The Senate Ways and Means Committee and House Committee on Finance held a joint informational briefing for Neighbor Island Grant-In-Aid (GIA) applicants Wednesday morning. Representatives from 57 neighbor island organizations were invited to attend, and each organization was given three minutes to testify. 

“Parents across-the-board continually seek safe places for their children, especially during those after school hours when they are working. We find ourselves competing for the hearts and minds of our children. But it is a fight we cannot afford to lose. A vibrant YMCA on Maui is a powerful and positive magnet to support, mentor and befriend our children,” Maui resident Sandy Canha said on behalf of the Maui Family YMCA. (more…)

Hundreds of students from James Campbell High School marched around and into the Capitol yesterday to demand air conditioning for their school. “Air-conditioned classes are more convenient for my personal preference and for learning needs,” student body president Evelyn Obamos said in a speech she gave in the Capitol rotunda. Protest organizer Corey Rosenlee, a Campbell history teacher, said that temperatures in his classroom have exceeded 100 degrees.

Sen. Will Espero, pictured above, commended the students’ efforts to participate in government. Espero’s district includes Campbell, and he pointed out that the school also lies in the flight path of Hickam Air Force Base and Honolulu International Airport. “The heat and noise are a serious hindrance to learning,” he said.

After the protest, Campbell students flooded into legislators’ offices. Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser explained to them that the legislature often faces difficult decisions when prioritizing the needs of the Department of Education that also include other school facility and program needs.

This scanned photo, showing a ship docked at Nawiliwili Harbor, was submitted with testimony in support of Senate Bill 2526.

A bill that aims to reduce cruise ship emissions at a Kaua`i harbor is moving through the state Senate. Senate Bill 2526, introduced by Sen. Gary Hooser (D-Kaua`i, Ni`ihau), addresses health problems and pollution that Niumalu-area residents attribute to cruise ships’ bunker fuel burning near Nawiliwili Harbor.

Rep. James Tokioka (D-Lihue, Koloa) introduced a similar House Bill 2919, but the House committees on Transportation and Tourism and Culture deferred action on the measure, effectively killing the House version for this session.

Environmental groups and many Kaua`i residents had sent written testimony in support of the legislation, asking for a timely solution to what they described as a tangible black residue covering their homes and dangerous fumes around the harbor.

Kaua`i resident Carl Berg testified on Senate Bill 2526. Pictured are Sen. Gordon Trimble, Sen. Gary Hooser, the bill’s introducer, and Sen. Ron Menor, chair of the Senate Energy and Environment committee.

Carl Berg, a resident of Nawiliwili Bay, environmental scientist and former Department of Health employee, said he did not think the DOH’s past tests were accurate because the tests measured only ambient air and did not sample the harbor’s most-polluted areas.

“This is not acceptable. We smell it, we see it, it’s on our windows and we’re getting sick,” he said last Thursday. (more…)

“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.

Maxamina Catian helps a child in the Keiki Steps early education demonstration to build with blocks.

Senators stressed the need for early childhood education this morning with visits to the annual Champions for Children event and a press conference discussing bills related to children and education. Organizations like Child & Family Service, YMCA and Head Start hosted educational booths at the Capitol, and the Keiki Steps program provided an example of a play-and-learn preschool group.

Among the bills introduced this session is Senate Bill 2878, which establishes a similar Keiki First Steps Program to educate children from ages 0 to 5. The legislation, introduced by Sen. Norman Sakamoto (D- Kalihi, Moanalua Gardens, Salt Lake, Aliamanu, Foster Village, Hickam, Pearl Harbor, Pearl Ridge,`Aiea), says that early learning systems will produce long-term benefits for children that include school success, reduced crime, reduced dropout rates and increased workforce productivity.

Sen. Will Espero visits with a representative from the PATCH child care agency at the Champions for Children event.

According to the bill, Hawai`i’s children need support and guidance starting at birth to reach their full potential as citizens. A comprehensive early learning system provides quality opportunities for young children. (more…)

This morning at Waimea Canyon Middle School on Kaua`i’s west side, ambulances rushed 10 students to local hospitals with complaints of nausea and nasal and eye irritation thought to be the result of nearby pesticide use. The school closed shortly and students were treated and released.

This morning’s incident is not isolated. In response to similar past problems with alleged pesticide and herbicide impact on the health of students and staff, Sen. Gary Hooser introduced a bill last week in the State Senate that establishes three different pesticide-free buffer zones around schools. (more…)

Last night at 5:10 p.m., Majority Caucus Leader and Ways and Means Committee Vice Chair Shan Tsutsui (4 - Wailuku, Waihe`e, Kahului, Pa`ia, Lower Pa`ia), filed a mass transit accountability bill that was co-introduced by Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser (7 - Kaua`i, Ni`ihau), Transportation and International Affairs Committee Chair J. Kalani English (6 - Hana, East and Upcountry Maui, Moloka`i, Lana`i and Kaho`olawe) and Commerce, Consumer Protection and Affordable Housing Chair Russell Kokubun (2 - Waiakea Uka, Kalapana, Volcano, Kahuku). The bill was co-sponsored by Senate President Colleen Hanabusa.

Senate Bill 3213 requires the city and county of Honolulu to make a decision by June 30, 2008, on the technology of the fixed guideway system for the locally preferred alternative for a mass transit project, or the surcharge to fund the project shall be suspended effective July 1, 2008, for that county; requires the county by December 31, 2008, to award any related contracts for the technology of the fixed guideway system for the locally preferred alternative for a mass transit project, or return any unexpended moneys to the State for deposit into the state highway fund; authorizes expenditures from the fund, as deemed appropriate by the legislature, for transportation projects in the county for which the surcharge was collected.
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Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser and House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell speak to reporters about the governor’s State of the State address.

Senate Majority Leader Gary Hooser and House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell held a joint press conference today with local reporters to question what they feel are missing pieces in the State of the State address that Gov. Lingle delivered yesterday. With a recent stock market drop, interest rate scares and a generally-slowing economy, the address provided few details of support for Hawai‘i’s economic future.

“We were looking for a direction and strategic planning,” Rep. Caldwell said. “Instead we were given plans for more spending.”

“Rather than wait for the potential economic crisis, we need to put a comprehensive plan into place that will get us through rough spots that might lie ahead,” Sen. Hooser said.

Rep. Caldwell called attention to the fact that Hawai‘i’s executive branch has all year to formulate and activate plans, while the legislative bodies are in session for only 60 days.

“If the Lingle administration will provide a direction for the state’s economic future, both bodies will work in cooperation,” Sen. Hooser said.

“The island of O‘ahu will benefit if areas like Turtle Bay are preserved in perpetuity at a time when the islands are experiencing exponential urbanization.”
Sen. Clayton Hee, District 23

“I appreciate that the governor acknowledged the T.J. Mahoney (work furlough and offender reintegration facility) and its director, Lorraine Robinson, because it is an area that needs more resources and assistance. … The Turtle Bay project is ambitious. With our other needs, I’m curious to see how she plans on financing the project.”
Sen. Will Espero, District 20

“The governor’s call for personal responsibility is important because the government cannot solve all the problems of the state. The Turtle Bay proposition is also honorable, but it’s unrealistic because our state budget consists of many other competing critical issues. Government leaders need be fiscally responsible and carefully choose our funding priorities.”
Sen. Gary Hooser, Majority Leader, District 7

By Hawaii State Senator Gary L. Hooser

The nomination of Katherine Leonard to serve as a judge of the Hawai‘i Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA) has again focused attention on the Hawai‘i State Senate’s duty to “advise and consent” on the governor’s nominees for judicial posts. In past cases, questions of the nominees’ fitness to serve have led some to ask whether the process is overly negative, and how such individuals of apparently high qualifications would not receive immediate and unanimous approval. However, the nature of the Senate’s legal and constitutional duty

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Listen (audio only) to Senator Gary L. Hooser’s Speech on Senate Bill 1 (Superferry Legislation) from October 29, 2007.

Senator Hooser’s Floor Speech (17Mb) (MP3 File)