Archive for the ‘Sen. Tokuda’ Category

Senate committees to twitter hearing updates

Monday, February 1st, 2010

TwitterThe Senate announced today that several committees will be participating in a pilot project using Twitter to provide real-time updates on the progress of committee hearings.  The Senate Committees on Higher Education (HRE), Consumer Protection (CPC), and Health (HTH) will be sending messages to let followers know that the hearing has convened, the bill or measure being discussed, and when the hearing adjourns.

“The new social media is the perfect tool to “tweet” real-time updates during our hearings to keep the public informed,” said State Senator Jill Tokuda, chair of the Committee on Higher Education.

“There are times when members of the public want to be in two different hearings at the same time,” said Senator Rosalyn Baker, Chair of the Committee on Consumer Protection.  “Twitter will also help the public with long hearing agendas, so they can monitor the committee’s progress and return to the hearing when we are discussing the measure of interest.”

“The Twitter Pilot Project is part of our on-going efforts to use technology to improve public access to the legislative process,” said Senator David Ige, Majority Technology Leader.  “We have improvements in the Capitol website, with video archives of legislative proceedings, and bill tracking systems.”

To get real-time hearing updates join the following Senate Committees on Twitter at:

 

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Special committee to consider approaches to teacher furloughs

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Furlough Friday Rally at the CapitolParents against furlough Fridays Rally at the Hawai‘i State Capitol, October 23, 2009.

Senate President Colleen Hanabusa today announced that a Special Committee of the Hawai‘i State Senate will convene to consider the options available to address the question of teacher furloughs.

“I am proud that my colleagues are stepping up with a battery of ideas to solve the teacher furlough problem,” said Senator Hanabusa, “but every option raises questions. We need to look at not only whether money is available, but how we can ensure that any money we appropriate gets released by the governor and goes to education. We also need to answer some fundamental questions about whether any action we take will interfere with a collectively bargained agreement between the state, the DOE, and the teachers’ union. The right to collective bargaining is guaranteed in our state Constitution, so this is a significant concern.”

Hanabusa added that, “The worst thing we can do is build false hopes. We need to act responsibly. This is a complicated situation and a lot of different parties will have to come together to work out a solution. But this committee will get the ball rolling.”

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Posted in Articles, Sen. Espero, Sen. Hanabusa, Sen. Ige, Sen. Takamine, Sen. Taniguchi, Sen. Tokuda, Sen. Tsutsui | No Comments »

Windward Legislators to Host Town Hall Meeting Prior to 2009 Legislative Session

Monday, January 5th, 2009

Senator TokudaSenator Jill Tokuda and Representatives Pono Chong and Ken Ito will again host a town hall meeting on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, from 7pm to 8:30pm at Windward Community College in Hale ‘Ākoakoa 105.

Especially during challenging economic times, it is critically important that we reach out to our constituents to identify priorities and community needs,” stated Tokuda.

Similar to the series of town hall meetings held last year, this meeting will provide residents with an opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns about issues facing the community and hear about initiatives legislators will be working on in the coming session.

These town halls are an opportunity for residents to share ideas they have for improving our community and our state,” stated Tokuda. “As in the past, many of these suggestions can be introduced as legislation during the session.”

Anyone with questions or requiring special assistance should contact Kamakana Kaimuloa at 587-7215.

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