Archive for the ‘Sen. Sakamoto’ Category

Celebrating 35 years of great music

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Kalapana

The Senate yesterday recognized the renowned island musical group Kalapana in celebration of the band’s 35th anniversary. On the floor were band members Malani Bilyeu, DJ Pratt, and Gaylord Holomalia.

Kalapana emerged as one of the most popular bands on the Hawaiian music scene in the 70s, producing a steady stream of hits. Their 1975 debut album was hailed as one of the best of the mid-70s Hawaiian renaissance. Tracks like “Naturally,” “Nightbird,” “The Hurt,” “You Make It Hard,” and “When the Morning Comes” became household tunes and still enjoy frequent play on contemporary Hawaiian radio. In concert they opened for bands like Earth, Wind and Fire, the Moody Blues, Sly and the Family Stone, and local favorites Cecilo and Kapono.

Musical trends have come and gone, but Kalapana’s many hits have remained Island classics. After 35 years, Kalapana still stands as a symbol of inspiration for contemporary Hawaiian music today.

Posted in Articles, Sen. Espero, Sen. Galuteria, Sen. Kidani, Sen. Kim, Sen. Sakamoto | No Comments »

In support of streamlined sales tax proposal

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Keiki Caucus

The Keiki Caucus, along with business and community leaders, yesterday gathered in support of SB 2405 and HB 2352, which would allow Hawaii to implement the streamlined sales and use tax agreement and collect taxes on out-of-state sales. Currently, Hawaii is unable to collect sales tax on out-of-state purchases, including those made through catalogs and over the Internet. The proposed measures would adopt amendments to Hawaii tax laws to implement the existing streamlined sales and use tax agreement.

The amount of sales and use tax revenues that have remained uncollected is significant. “Last year, the National Conference of State Legislatures calculated that $245.5 million was not collected by our state,” said Senator Suzanne Chun Oakland, chair of the Human Services Committee. “At the same time, hundreds of thousands of children and youth in Hawaii are being impacted by the cuts that have already been made in public education, child care, higher education, public health services, youth services and public assistance, to name a few.”

“Think about furlough Fridays,” suggested Representative John Mizuno. “If we had collected that $245 million, would this even be an issue?”

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Posted in Articles, Sen. Baker, Sen. Chun Oakland, Sen. Fukunaga, Sen. Ige, Sen. Sakamoto | No Comments »

No time for blame in addressing teacher furloughs

Friday, October 30th, 2009

The following op-ed by Senator Norman Sakamoto ran in yesterday’s Star Bulletin:

Senator Sakamotoby Senator Sakamoto, District 15
December 29, 2009

With “Furlough Fridays” a reality, efforts toward a long-term solution are overdue.  The time that some are now devoting to finger-pointing and affixing blame are a distraction from the more important work we have before us.The real question is, as the economic torrent threatens to erode the foundation of public education, what can we do?

Two meaningful efforts are underway. First, community partners have stepped up to reduce the burdens on students, families, and employers by creating optional activities for furlough days. I commend all of those who have acted proactively to minimize the damage to the school house foundation.

Second, many people are asking if more resources are available to help strengthen the foundation of our educational system—like rocks arranged to protect an eroding embankment. Legislators are hard at work creating proposals that shore up the threatened foundations. These proposals are being presented to the parties to the collective bargaining agreements: the governor, Board of Education, DOE, HSTA, HGEA, and UPW.

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Aiea/Pearl City Town Meeting Scheduled

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009

Senators David Ige, Donna Mercado Kim, Clarence Nishihara and Norman Sakamoto and Representatives Blake Oshiro, K. Mark Takai and Roy Takumi will hold a Aiea/Pearl City Legislative Town Meeting on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at the Pearl Ridge Elementary School Cafeteria from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. to discuss Hawaii’s economy.

Senator Nishihara

“We encourage the people of the Aiea/Pearl City area to join us to discuss how developments in the global financial crisis and widening global downturn have seriously impacted the Hawai‘i economy,” said Senator Nishihara.

Presenters will include Dr. Carl Bonham, Associate Professor of Economics and Executive Director of the University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization (UHERO); and Dr. Paul Brewbaker, Senior Economic Advisor, Bank of Hawai‘i.

Senator Kim

In addition to the presenters, Senator Donna Mercado Kim, Chair, Senate Committee on Ways & Means and her staff will explain the Executive Budget as submitted by the governor. “This is a great opportunity to express your ideas on how to balance the State budget,” said Senator Kim.

Contact Senator Nishihara’s office at 586-6970 for more information.

Posted in Articles, Capitol Meetings and Events, Sen. Ige, Sen. Kim, Sen. Nishihara, Sen. Sakamoto | No Comments »

Bill to Standardize Curriculum in Hawaii’s Public Schools Advances

Thursday, March 2nd, 2006

curriculum  The Senate Committee on Ways and Means advanced a bill on March 2nd that requires the DOE to establish a model curriculum for each grade level in Hawaii’s public schools. SB 3059, introduced by Senator Norman Sakamoto, calls for the model curriculum to be in place by the 2008-09 school year. If passed, the bill will create a structured curriculum for all public schools and help meet No Child Left Behind performance standards.

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