WHO/WHAT: The Senate Committee on Judiciary (JDC) will convene an informational briefing to hear from the Honorable Mark E. Recktenwald, retired Chief Justice, Hawaiʻi Supreme Court, and a member of the Alliance of Former Chief Justices, on the rule of law and the role of an independent judiciary. WHEN/WHERE: Tuesday, September 15, 2026 10:00 a.m. Conference Room 229 & Videoconference Hawaiʻi State Capitol 415 S. Beretania St., Honolulu, HI 96813 PRESENTER: • The Honorable Mark E. Recktenwald (Retired), Chief Justice, Hawaiʻi Supreme Court PURPOSE: U.S. presidential executive orders and policies have challenged the powers of the judicial branch and tested the limits of the rule of law. The briefing will examine these issues and discuss the role of an independent judicial system in maintaining the rule of law. Following the presentation, committee members will have the opportunity to ask questions of the Retired Chief Justice. Questions will be limited to five minutes per member. As is customary for informational briefings, no public testimony will be accepted. Members of the public and the news media are encouraged to attend. The hearing notice, agenda, and additional meeting information, including the link to the live stream, are available here: HEARING NOTICE: https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2026/hearingnotices/HEARING_JDC_09-15-26_INFO_.HTM This informational briefing is part of a series of informational briefings on the rule of law in relation to actions of the Trump Administration and how its decisions are impacting Hawaiʻi. Information about other briefings can be accessed on the Senate Judiciary Committee webpage HERE.

HILO, HAWAIʻI – Senate Vice President Lorraine R. Inouye (Senate District 1– Hilo, Pauka‘a, Papaikou, Pepe‘ekeo) announced the release of $250,000 in Capital Improvement Program (CIP) special funds to advance the Tropical AgTech Center at the Hilo Foreign-Trade Zone located at the old Hilo airport on Hawaiʻi Island. The funding will support the design and construction of the greenhouse nursery for tissue culture and help expand agricultural technology resources for Hawaiʻi Island farmers. The Tropical AgTech Center is being developed by the State of Hawaiʻi Foreign-Trade Zone No. 9 (FTZ9), a division of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Island Agricultural Partnership. The project is designed to strengthen small-farm profitability, increase food security and support the growth of high-wage agricultural technology jobs on Hawaiʻi Island. “I’m especially pleased to see this investment in the Hilo Foreign-Trade Zone. The Hilo site became part of Hawaiʻi’s Foreign-Trade Zone program during my time as Mayor of Hawaiʻi County, and to see how it has evolved many years later is especially rewarding. This investment will help provide our farmers with access to technology and resources that can strengthen their operations while supporting the future of agriculture on Hawaiʻi Island,” said Senator Inouye. “I want to thank Governor Green for releasing these funds. I would also like to thank my colleagues in the State Legislature, U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono and Congresswoman Jill Tokuda for their continued support of this project. Investments in agricultural technology can help strengthen our local farms, improve our food security and create new economic opportunities for Hawaiʻi Island.”

HONOLULU, HAWAIʻI – Hawaiʻi State Senator Lorraine R. Inouye, Majority Whip, Chair of the Senate Committee on Transportation, and Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Water, Land, Culture and the Arts, is urging federal officials to reject a proposal that could open federal waters off shore American Samoa to commercial deep-sea mineral mining, citing significant scientific uncertainty, potential irreversible environmental damage and the importance of protecting the Pacific Ocean for future generations. In an August 4 letter to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Senator Inouye expressed strong opposition to the agency’s Proposed Leasing Notice for commercial deep-sea mineral leasing offshore of American Samoa. In a statement, Senator Inouye said: “As someone with lifetime roots on Hawai‘i Island and a career dedicated to serving Hawai‘i’s rural communities in our island state, I understand that our relationship with the ocean is not just economic—it is cultural, ecological, and deeply personal. Our marine ecosystems sustain local fisheries, provide for the health and well-being of our families and communities, and define our island ways of life. The deep ocean is an essential part of that complex interconnected system, yet it remains one of the least understood environments on our planet. Scientists continue to warn that commercial deep-sea mining could cause irreversible damage by destroying deep-sea habitats, causing biodiversity loss, spreading sediment plumes, releasing heavy metal pollution into the marine environment, and contaminating fish, whales, sharks, and other marine life with toxic metals. Moving forward with commercial deep-sea mining before we fully understand its long-term impacts puts speculative and shortsighted profits ahead of the long-term health and survival of all our ocean-dependent communities. Hawai‘i has long been a leader in ocean stewardship because we recognize that the Pacific is both our home and our greatest shared responsibility. The priceless life-sustaining value of the deep ocean far outweighs the speculative benefits of commercial deep-sea mining. Given the significant scientific uncertainty and the risks of permanent environmental harm, Hawai‘i should stand firmly with other Pacific Island communities including American Samoa, in opposition to the commercialization of deep-sea mining and in support of lasting protections for our deep-ocean ecosystems. We can meet the growing demand for critical minerals through investments in recycling, innovation, and more responsible resource management and use, while safeguarding the ocean that has sustained Pacific Island communities for generations. Protecting the deep ocean reflects our responsibility to all the generations to come and upholds Hawai‘i’s enduring commitment to environmental stewardship, precautionary policymaking, and the conservation of our shared Pacific heritage.” In her letter, Senator Inouye urged BOEM to withdraw the Proposed Leasing Notice and refrain from issuing commercial leases unless the agency can demonstrate that deep-sea mining can proceed without causing lasting environmental, cultural or socioeconomic harm. The federal government announced a Proposed Leasing Notice on July 16, 2026, for a potential mineral lease sale in federal waters offshore American Samoa. The BOEM, an agency with the U.S. Department of the Interior, is proposing to hold the lease sale on November 19, 2026. Read Senator Inouye’s letter to BOEM here.

The official website of the Hawaiʻi Senate Majority Caucus. 2026 LEGISLATIVE SESSION WATCH HEARINGS UPCOMING HEARINGS FIND YOUR SENATOR OUR LEADERSHIP RONALD D. KOUCHI President of the Senate LORRAINE INOUYE Vice President DRU MAMO KANUHA Majority Leader GLENN WAKAI Majority Floor Leader LYNN DECOITE Assistant Majority Floor Leader TROY N. HASHIMOTO Assistant Majority Whip JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE Assistant Majority Whip CHRIS LEE Assistant Majority Whip HERBERT "TIM" RICHARDS, III Assistant Majority Whip LES IHARA, JR. Majority Policy Leader STAY CONNECTED: Load More

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OUR CAUCUS Lorraine R. Inouye Vice President Senate District 1 Hilo, Pauka‘a, Papaikou, Pepe‘ekeo Joy A. San Buenaventura Senate District 2 Puna Dru Mamo Kanuha Majority Leader Senate District 3 Kona, Ka‘ū, Volcano Herbert M. "Tim" Richards III Assistant Majority Whip Senate District 4 North Hilo, Hāmākua, Kohala, Waimea, Waikoloa, North Kona Troy N. Hashimoto Assistant Majority Whip Senate District 5 Wailuku, Kahului, Waihe‘e, Waikapu Mauka, Wai‘ehu Angus L.K. McKelvey Senate District 6 West Maui, Mā‘alaea, Waikapū, South Maui Lynn DeCoite Assistant Majority Floor Leader Senate District 7 Hāna, East and Upcountry Maui, Moloka‘i, Lāna‘i, Kaho‘olawe and Molokini Ronald D. Kouchi President Senate District 8 Kaua'i, Ni'ihau Stanley Chang Senate District 9 Hawai‘i Kai, Kuli‘ou‘ou, Niu, ‘Āina Haina, Wai‘alae-Kāhala, Diamond Head, Kaimukī, Kapahulu Les Ihara, Jr. Majority Policy Leader Senate District 10 Pālolo, St. Louis Heights, Maunalani Heights, Ala Wai mauka, portions of Kaimukī, Kapahulu, Mō‘ili‘ili, McCully Mānoa, Makiki/Punchbowl, Tantalus and Papakōlea Carol Fukunaga Senate District 11 Sharon Y. Moriwaki Senate District 12 Waikīkī, Ala Moana, Kaka‘ako, McCully Karl Rhoads Senate District 13 Dowsett Highlands, Pu‘unui, Nu‘uanu, Pacific Heights, Pauoa, Punchbowl, Pālama, Liliha, Iwilei, Chinatown, and Downtown Donna Mercado Kim Senate District 14 Kapālama, ‘Ālewa, Kalihi, Kalihi Valley, Ft. Shafter, Moanalua Gardens & Valley, Red Hill Glenn Wakai Majority Floor Leader Senate District 15 Kalihi, Māpunapuna, Airport, Salt Lake, Āliamanu, Foster Village, Hickam, Pearl Harbor, and portions of ‘Aiea and Pearl City Brandon J.C. Elefante Senate District 16 ‘Aiea, ‘Aiea Heights, Hālawa, Pearlridge, Newtown, Royal Summit, Waimalu, Waiau, Momilani, Pacific Palisades, and Pearl City Donovan M. Dela Cruz Senate District 17 Portion of Mililani, Mililani Mauka, portion of Waipi‘o Acres, Launani Valley, Wahiawā, Whitmore Village Danielle M.M. Bass Senate District 18 Mililani Town, Waipi‘o Gentry, Crestview, Waikele, portion of Waipahu, Village Park, Royal Kunia Appointed 08/09/2026 Rachele Lamosao Senate District 19 Pearl City, Waipahu, West Loch Estates, Hono‘uli‘uli, Ho‘opili Mike Gabbard Senate District 21 Kapolei, Makakilo, Kalaeloa, portions of Fernandez Village, and ‘Ewa Jarrett Keohokalole Assistant Majority Whip Senate District 24 Kāne‘ohe, Kailua Chris Lee Assistant Majority Whip Senate District 25 Kailua, Waimānalo, Hawai‘i Kai