House Committee on Health to hear food allergy bill

The House Committee on Health will hear a measure on Tuesday, February 2, 2010 to help make dining out easier for those who suffer from food allergies and related anaphylaxis.

House Bill 2723, Relating to Food Safety, introduced by Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu (District 41-Waipahu, Village Park, Waikele) would establish guidelines and safeguards to make restaurants safer for those with food allergies by expanding the food safety consultative and education program under the department of health.

The bill is based on a landmark bill signed into law by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick last February, which was developed by Chef Ming Tsai, chef and restaurateur, whose son also suffers from severe food allergies.

“It is my hope that a restaurant’s ability to provide consumers with detailed information about their menu and ingredients will enable people who would normally choose to stay home and eat because of high sensitivity to foods to enjoy a dining experience outside of the home, and assist in generating more business for our restaurant industries,” explains Karamatsu. “The growing prevalence of food allergies and the associated anaphylaxis is on the rise and that’s what makes it all the more important that we take the upfront, precautionary and educational steps to make our restaurants 'food allergy friendly' for residents and visitors alike.”

According to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), more than 12 million Americans have food allergies, 3 million of which are estimated to be children. FAAN believes that approximately 150 deaths and 50,000 emergency room visits a year are attributable to food-related anaphylaxis.

The bill, if passed, will then go on to the House Committees on Economic Revitalization, Business and Military Affairs, and Finance before crossing over to the Senate. Hawaii would be only the second state in the country to pass such legislation.

For more information on the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network and food allergies please visit www.foodallergy.org.

House Judiciary committee advances bill on voting systems procurement

The House Judiciary Committee today approved a bill to expedite the procurement of voting equipment systems for state elections.

HB1901 RELATING TO PROCUREMENT OF VOTING SYSTEMS

House Bill 1901 is designed to provide the State with increased flexibility in the procurement of voting systems equipment. The bill, introduced by Representatives Calvin K. Y. Say and Jon Riki Karamatsu, proposes changes to the existing procurement process by amending Section 2, Chapter 16 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. The bill intends to balance the interests of an open and competitive procurement process with the state’s need to obtain voting equipment in a cost effective and timely manner.

“The purpose of this bill is to address existing administrative problems that impact our ability to hold elections” said Chair Karamatsu. “We need to strike a balance between ensuring the transparency of the procurement process and the availability of legal remedies for unsuccessful vendors. We have an obligation to the voters to comply with the election timelines and to ensure that the process is timely and cost effective”.

Protests and administrative appeals by unsuccessful vendors often delay the procurement of voting systems equipment. The current process, which election officials, including county clerks and the state’s chief of elections have described as “ill suited to the State’s procurement of voting equipment systems”, would be amended to allow election officials to exempt voting systems procurement decisions from administrative appeal. To maintain the transparency and integrity essential to the procurement process, the bill calls for a selection committee comprised of government and community stakeholders to review and evaluate competing bids from vendors, and for contracts to be awarded for those bids which are the most cost effective and advantageous to the state. Unsuccessful vendors will also still be free to pursue remedies through the courts.

House Marathoners

Rep. Mark Nakashima posts some photos on his blog from the Honolulu Marathon held this past Sunday, December 13th, including this one from the starting line.

Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu also ran the marathon this year. his second time.

Are there more of whom I'm not aware? Let us know!

UPDATE: I understand that our Majority Leader, Rep. Blake Oshiro, and Rep. K. Mark Takai also ran this year.

Capitol Ghost Stories 2009 - The Spirit of Rep. Bob Nakasone

Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu (left) and Rep. Bob Nakasone in 2006

Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu shared with me some of his personal experiences involving the spirit of the late Rep. Bob Nakasone. Rep. Nakasone, who represented Maui House District 9 – Kahului, Wailuku, Paia, passed away on December 7, 2008. His seat was filled by the appointment of Rep. Gil Keith-Agaran. Rep. Nakasone was regarded as a strong and influential leader of the House. He was considered one of the most knowledgeable legislators on Hawaii’s laws; he always did his homework and he had a respected institutional memory. He didn’t talk much, and he rarely consented to a media interview. He was also someone who understood the need for lawmakers to relieve stress, and the importance of everyone coming together socially even though you may disagree on the issues. His office was a gathering place, often lively, for friends to unwind and restore each other’s spirits.

December 12, 2008
After Rep. Nakasone passed away, many people at the Capitol mourned the loss, and Jon was feeling very sad for the entire week. On the night of December 12th, a Friday, Jon was working late at his capitol office when a friend and her daughter stopped by to visit around 9:15 p.m. They decided to walk over to Honolulu Hale and see the Christmas lights. On the ground level, they were walking down the capitol stairs near the Queen Liliuokalani statue when all of a sudden they heard very loud party noises. It sounded like a gathering of around a dozen people, laughing and talking, coming from the lanai area of Rep. Nakasone’s office. It was so loud that they looked up, the noise stopped, and it became completely silent. All the windows in the offices on the makai side of the building were dark. Jon asked his friend if she heard the noises too. She said she did, and that it sounded like Bob was back having a party. Just then, the sky opened up and they got drenched in a heavy downpour of rain. They ran back inside the capitol and didn’t go out to see the lights until later that night.

February 20, 2009
One of Jon’s friends, who shall remain anonymous, is sensitive to feeling the presence of spirits and sometimes even seeing them. On Thursday, February 19th, she mentioned to Jon that she was walking past Rep. Nakasone’s office (now Rep. Keith-Agaran’s office) and she felt his presence but did not see anything.

On February 20th, shortly after 12 noon, Rep. Karamatsu went up to the podium in the House Chamber and asked the members for a moment of silence in honor of the passing of Rep. Nakasone. Jon’s friend was watching the House proceedings on closed circuit television, and when she saw that Jon was asking for a moment of silence for Rep. Nakasone, she felt the urge to go back to Rep. Nakasone’s office to see if his presence was there.

Sure enough, as she walked toward the office in the narrow hallway, she saw Rep. Nakasone approaching her. They both stopped to talk. He said to her, “Jon listens to you, and that’s good.” Jon’s friend asked Bob, “Is Jon going to Hilo?” He replied, “Don’t worry, he’ll be in Hilo.” With that he continued walking past her, and she saw him fade as he walked away.

We’re not sure what the Hilo reference is about. There was a group of Big Island lawmakers who planned an event in Hilo the following day, Saturday. Rep. Karamatsu did not attend that event. However, he would later launch his neighbor island campaign for Lt. Governor in Hilo on Saturday, July 18, 2009.

Hawaii Medical Association honors Lawmakers

The Hawaii Medical Association announced the winners of their 8th annual "Ola Pono Ike" (Health is knowledge) awards which will be presented on October 17th.

A reader-submitted story in the Honolulu Advertiser is here.

Congratulations to the following, including a State Senator and three House Representatives!

Physician of the Year: Dr. Josh Green. Dr. Green is a State Senator representing District 3 - North and South Kohala, and North and South Kona. Prior to winning his senate seat, Dr. Green served as a state representative for two terms. He practices as an emergency room physician on the Big Island and is vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Health.

Lifetime Achievement Award: Dr. Richard T. Mamiya. Dr. Mamiya is retired cardiovascular surgeon, well known for his surgical innovations and his many contributions to the community.

Legislators of the Year: Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, chairman of the House Judiciary committee; Rep. Ryan Yamane, chairman of the House Health committee; and Rep. Barbara Marumoto, as member of the Judiciary and Commerce and Consumer Protection committees. The House representatives were singled out for their strong support of legislation to benefit Hawaii healthcare.

3rd Annual Peace Day Hawaii: Creating a culture of peace

Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu on Peace Education
Karamatsu introduced the legislation to officially recognize Peace Day in Hawaii. He is also the chairman of the ad hoc Peace Day Hawaii Committee.

Peace Day is celebrated worldwide every year on Sept. 21. It is a day of global ceasefire and nonviolence that each member state of the United Nations agreed upon. It is a day in which each one of us can do something to promote peace, either here in Hawaii or around the world.

Internationally: Last year 1.4 million children in Afghanistan were given polio vaccinations, and the Taliban pledged to not harm any vaccination teams entering volatile regions.

Locally: This year yoga practitioners will raise money to help feed Hawaii children with a fundraising event called Global Yoga Mala for Peace in Honolulu.

The idea of peace must begin with us, in our homes, our schools and our communities. That is why in 2007 I introduced a bill, on behalf of the Hawaii Federation of Junior Young Buddhist Associations, to be the first state to officially recognize Peace Day.

Many people shy away from peace initiatives because they think that one person cannot make a difference. That is wrong. We can all make a commitment to strive to embody the Aloha spirit through acts of compassion, acceptance and understanding. Peace must first start within us. Compassionate actions from one person can make a huge impact, and all our actions combined will help the world reach our goal of celebrating peace 365 days a year.

This year the Legislature protected monies for legal services for survivors of violence and updated harassment and temporary restraining order laws. However, we need to put more emphasis on education and awareness and be proactive rather than reactive. We must get to the root of where the cycle of violence can be broken: our keiki. One way to do this is to implement an education program for our public schools that includes education on conflict resolution, discrimination, harassment, bullying, sexual assault, and domestic violence.

Hawaii can also play a major role in international peace. We have a unique society with a variety of cultures and traditions that we share with each other. One of my long-term political goals is to create an "Aloha Mission" to the Middle East region to support our Hawaii troops, meet with political leaders, exchange culture, and provide medicine and toys for children.

Celebrating Peace Day

The third annual "Peace Day Hawaii: Uniting with Aloha" will be held on Sept. 20 and Sept. 21 at the Hawaii State Capitol. This free, two-day celebration will focus statewide attention on creating a culture of peace by weaving the elements of peace through our schools and communities. Events include an educational forum and Peace Day Hawaii Celebration Ceremony discussing peace, equity and justice as a necessity for community sustainability and environmental awareness. Special guest Betty Williams, who won the Nobel peace prize in 1976 for her dedication to promoting a peaceful resolution in Northern Ireland, will be the keynote speaker for both events.

The forum, "Sustainability in the Schools", will be held on Sunday, Sept. 20 in the State Capitol Auditorium. From 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., schools and community organizations that are associated with the Hawaii School Peace Gardens Consortium will give presentations in the auditorium. From 12 p.m. – 1 p.m., Betty Williams will be the guest speaker. From 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., representatives from the various organizations will briefly talk about what they do in schools or would like to offer in partnering with schools. Informational displays and booths on environmental sustainability will be set up in the State Capitol Rotunda from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

The Peace Day Hawaii 2009 Celebration Ceremony will be held on Monday, Sept. 21 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. in the State Capitol Rotunda. The ceremony will include keynote speaker Betty Williams, entertainment, presentation of this year's Peace Day Award and a candle light ceremony and silent prayer.

A partner of Peace Day Hawaii is Victory Over Violence (VOV), a youth sponsored initiative to help young people identify and counteract the root causes of violence in their lives and promote a culture of peace in the community. The Hawaii chapter of the organization has extended nominations for the VOV Aloha Peace Challenge, an annual humanitarian competition in Hawaii that challenges all people to create value in their communities through activities that celebrate and promote peace and nonviolence, until September 14. To participate in the challenge, please visit www.vov.com.

In 2007, Hawaii became the only state in the nation to officially recognize and annually celebrate the International Day of Peace, which was established by the United Nations as the Day of worldwide ceasefire and non-violence. State Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu introduced a bill on behalf of the members of the Hawaii Federation of Junior Young Buddhist Association. Governor Linda Lingle signed the bill into law on April 17, 2007.

Information on Peace Day Hawaii ceremony: 808-586-8490, Peace Day Forum: 808-956-4244.

Reps in the News

DOE Reconstituting Schools

Rep. Roy Takumi, chairman of the House Education Committee, weighed in on the issue of the Department of Education "reconstituting" schools. This means that the DOE would have the authority to replace principals and teachers in low performing schools. The Honolulu Advertiser story is here. Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto says that she will seek authority again (legislation failed in 2009) this year to reconstitute schools, knowing that it is an unpopular direction. Here's an excerpt from The Advertiser article today:

Rep. Roy Takumi, chairman of the House Education Committee, said he supports the school reconstitutions and noted that Hamamoto has made it clear that it would be an extreme measure.

"It's just a tool in the tool box that you may or may not use. The superintendent is not going to waltz into every school that is not (performing). ... You need to look at every school on its own merits," he said.

Takumi said the bill ran into roadblocks with the labor unions last session.

"Should we have it as an option? I believe we should and today we don't," he said.


Hoopili

Rep. Rida Cabanilla. Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu and Rep. Maile Shimabukuro all opposed the proposed housing development called Hoopili which came before the Land Use Commission on Friday. The LUC denied the permit request. Here is the Honolulu Star Bulletin article. Here is The Advertiser article on the hearing and the decision. Quotes from the article include:


Shimabukuro, D-45th (Wai'anae, Makaha, Makua), said she was surprised when running for office to find out the chief concern for area residents was traffic. "It really is a daily nightmare for people who live on the West side trying to go to and from work," she said.

Cabanilla, D-42nd ('Ewa, Waipahu, Honouliuli) and chairwoman of the House Housing Committee, said urban development should be focused on areas such as Kaka'ako, McCully and Mo'ili'ili where small buildings can be redeveloped with high density.

Auction-rate securities

Rep. Karl Rhoads is concerned about the fact that the state has $1 billion tied up in auction-rate securities that are currently frozen. Here is the Advertiser article.

"It is disturbing that we have that much money tied up in something like that," said Rep. Karl Rhoads, D-28th (Palama, Downtown, Lower Makiki), who learned of the frozen assets from a constituent. "We knew or should have known it could have become illiquid."

Rhoads said he was concerned about the state's reluctance to write down the investments and wonders if the state should be more aggressive in seeking redress.
"If we've lost $114 million, how come we're not suing to get some of that back because Lord knows, we need the money right now," Rhoads said.

Rep. Rida Cabanilla feature on GMANews TV, a Filipino news channel

Rep. Cabanilla was featured on GMANews TV during one of their segments called "Pinoy Abroad". The story is here. It highlights her accomplishments since emigrating to the U.S. when she was 17 years old.

Lawmakers and Twitter: A match made in Twitterville?

Representative Della Au Belatti posted a question on Twitter yesterday asking her followers what they thought of a Yahoo! article criticizing tweeting politicians who use 140-character tweets to communicate with the public.

The article references Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's unintelligible tweets, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's TwitVids (Twitter videos) – specifically, the one of him wielding a large knife, and other national lawmakers who write about ballet, golf and other commonplace occurrences.

Rep. Belatti proposed this discussion topic:

DAuBelatti: Thoughts on politicians & twitter - do you agree w/Yahoo article? http://tiny.cc/A71tB DAB: I admit to tweeting about daily activities.

I was able to find responses from four of her followers. Here is what they had to say:

Susan Jaworowski, an assistant professor and program director of the Legal Education Department at Kapiolani Community College, opined on the ways lawmakers should tweet, sans faux pas.

lavasusan: To @DAuBelatti Ways to do it right: make decisions transparent to public, keep them informed. Even human touches good if not the majority.

lavasusan: To @georgettedeemer @DAuBelatti: legislators can be as stupid or wise on Twitter as any other medium. Tweetcongress.org mostly gets it right.

Gene Park, a former Star-Bulletin reporter, complimented Rep. Belatti on her 140-character tweeting skills and gave her the green light on tweeting personal commentary – as long as knife-wielding isn't part of the package.

genepark: @DAuBelatti I think you do a fine mix of personal and work related tweets. Mundane tweets humanizes the personality.

genepark: @DAuBelatti And tweeting on the job is not much of a timesink. The Arnold knifeholding thing is pretty weird though. Don't do that. :-)

The voice behind Makiki Talks, an on-line gathering place for everything Makiki, tweeted views that are shared amongst many social media critics. He/she suggests that elected officials are too careless when using new media.

MakikiTalks: @DAuBelatti I don't understand y elected officials who use trad [traditional] media so carefully, so strategically forget themselves in SoMe-social media.

MakikiTalks: @DAuBelatti People still scrutinize DECISION MAKING, & ultimately PERSON making decision. Don't want to see lack of judgment or inattention

MakikiTalks: @DAuBelatti ..to the big decisions the people trust & give responsibility to make. Twitter is still earning credibility as a com tool.

A handful of Hawaii's elected officials, including Reps. Della Au Belatti, Jon Riki Karamatsu, Angus McKelvey, Cindy Evans and other capitol tweeps, are posting their thoughts and activities on the social-networking phenomenon that has recently found its way into the mainstream.

What are your thoughts on the Twitter etiquette of elected officials? Should they tweet about the mundane? Should they be tweeting at all? Is Twitter the appropriate medium to respond and discuss serious issues?

Healthcare and Technology

The following opinion was printed in today's Honolulu Advertiser:

Hawai'i must move quickly on health technology

Federal funds create key opportunity for Hawai'i to get on board

By Jon Riki Karamatsu

Healthcare in the United States is poised to take a giant leap forward, thanks to Health Information Technology (HIT) and the national Health Information Exchange (HIE). Hawai'i has a short window of opportunity to join the revolution, but we must act now. Here's why:

As part of the national recovery plan, President Obama recognized the current economic crisis as an opportunity. He included $20 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to give states the help and the incentive to adopt the technology and information exchange initiatives.

HIT and HIE are critical components of true healthcare reform in the United States. The adoption and implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) will vastly improve the quality of healthcare for patients because of a physician's instant access to and availability of a patient's medical history. This allows a physician to better treat a patient — especially in emergencies when a doctor is often unfamiliar with the patient, their medical history, allergies, medications, etc. It is also estimated that HIT will reduce healthcare costs by approximately $12.5 billion over the next 10 years and will continue to save us money in the future.

The private sector has taken it one step further. Last month, IBM announced that its finance unit will set aside $2 billion for "bridge" financing for high-tech infrastructure projects likely to qualify for federal grants and incentive payments under the ARRA. According to International Data Corporations (IDC) analyst Joseph Pucciarelli, the IBM program looks like a sound step that will hasten the arrival of high-tech projects.

This signals that other states are likely to move forward quickly on their HIT and HIE initiatives in order to take advantage of private sector financing, and to secure a bigger amount of the available money for the states. Hawai'i needs to move forward too.

This past legislative session, House and Senate Health Committee chairs started the process by bringing all of the stakeholders together to begin discussions on HIT and HIE in Hawai'i. House Bill 1782, relating to Health Information Exchange, creates a state coordinating office and task force charged with developing the program in Hawai'i.

While the bill did not get out of conference committee this year, the governor and the state Department of Health can and should take the lead to move the state forward on this initiative.
I hope the dialogue started during the legislative session will continue during the interim, and I'm optimistic that we will be able to bring the stakeholders together to revise the bill to send to the governor for signature next session.

Healthcare has become unaffordable for many people around the country. There's no question that government and the healthcare industry needs to partner in new ways as soon as possible. One of those ways is to take advantage of the new information technology, and to become part of a global network in healthcare.

The federal government and the private sector have stepped up to the plate in order to help the states. It is now up to our state government officials to ensure that Hawai'i receives its fair share of financial incentives, and to make local healthcare reform a reality.

The time to act is now.

Electronic Harassment bill signed into law

A bill expanding the definition of "harassment" and "harassment by stalking" to include contact through electronic communications was signed into law by the governor as Act 090 on June 5, 2009. Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu (District 41-Waipahu, Village Park, Waikele), House Judiciary chairman, introduced the legislation to increase the protection and safety of Hawaii residents.

The law updates Hawaii's harassment and stalking laws as text messaging and social media websites such as Facebook, Myspace and Twitter grow exponentially in popularity. While technology continues to change and new forms of electronic communications develop, so has the increase in harassment and harassment by stalking through electronic communications.

“Passage of these bills will update the current statute with all of the existing forms of today’s technology,” explains Karamatsu. “It is important that lawmakers keep current in order to best serve our constituents.” Karamatsu was inspired to introduce this bill after two friends became victims of electronic harassment and did not have any form of legal recourse.

Law enforcement agencies estimate that electronic communications are a factor in 20 to 40 percent of all stalking cases. Forty-six states now have laws that explicitly include electronic forms of communication within stalking or harassment laws.

Electronic Harassment Bill Passes out of Conference Committee

The House and Senate agreed on a bill last week that would better protect Hawaii residents by including contact through electronic communications as a form of "harassment" and "stalking by harassment." The bill was introduced by Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu (District 41-Waipahu, Village Park, Waikele), chair of the Committee on Judiciary.

During a joint House-Senate Conference Committee on Friday, April 24, 2009 members approved a conference draft of HB615, HD1, SD2 that addresses the shortfalls in the current statute.

Popular websites such as Facebook and Myspace, as well as the increased ease of text messaging, have made "harassment" and "stalking by harassment" through forms of electronic communication a more common occurrence in today's society.

“Passage of this bill will update the current statute with all of the existing forms of technology,” explains Karamatsu. “It is important that lawmakers keep up with changing times and updated forms of communications in order to best serve our constituents.” Karamatsu was inspired to introduce this bill after witnessing two of his friends become victims of electronic harassment and having no option of legal recourse.

HB615, HD1, SD2, CD1 will face final approval by both the House and the Senate this week before going to the Governor for signature.

Health Information Exchange Bill Could Mean Millions for Hawaii

Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu held a press conference today on House Bill 1782, HD2, a proposal to establish the Office of State Coordinator of Health Information Technology. This is a program that will have the potential of raising much needed new revenue to the state. It would serve to coordinate local efforts, identify funding sources, integrate state health programs, and eventually participate in the national health information technology network. It would be located with the Department of Accounting and General Services.

President Obama’s economic stimulus plan proposes $20 billion for health information technology, including a potential $11 million per hospital. HB 1782, HD2 will strengthen the state’s efforts to access these new federal monies. At a $10 to $1 federal fund match, Health Information Technology has the potential to draw down the biggest amount of federal funds for the state after rail.

At crossover, the House passed HB1782, HD2, Relating to Health Information Exchange, which is now before the Senate for action. Here are some facts about the proposed legislation:

*Establishes a statewide Health Information Technology (IT) system.

*Establishes a health information technology task force comprised of state agencies and stakeholders.

*$35 million appropriated for IT in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, with $20 billion specifically appropriated for Health IT.

*American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allows for states, or a qualified state-designated entity within the state to qualify for federal funds for Health IT purposes.

$10 match in federal funds to every $1 in state funds for FY2011
$7 match in federal funds to every $1 in state funds for FY2012
$3 match in federal funds to every $1 in state funds for FY2013 and each subsequent fiscal year

*There is no specific limit on state grant award amounts in the ARRA 2009 for Health IT making it the second biggest draw down of federal funds to Hawaii after the rail project.

*Health IT will also improve patient healthcare by providing physicians with immediate access to patient edical records, including patient medical history, lab results, and prescription medications to name a few, all of which will contribute to a reduction in medical errors.

*Reduction in medical errors will assist in driving down the high cost of medical malpractice insurance premiums that are causing doctors to no longer practice in the state of Hawaii.

Tort reform bills advance

The House Judiciary Committee yesterday passed out several tort reform measures, including HB 1784 HD2 RELATING TO MEDICAL TORTS that would set a maximum award limit on noneconomic damages. Award limits would be set by a medical malpractice task force. The measure also establishes a medical malpractice insurance premium rate and cap commission.

Representative Jon Riki Karamatsu, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, believes that what was passed out of committee yesterday was “a delicate compromise between several parties on different ends of the spectrum.”

“We worked very hard on this compromised approach and believe that the measure we are moving out for the Senate to consider will not only keep the discussion alive, but also has an excellent chance of making some very meaningful reforms in the area of doctor recruitment and retention,” he said.

Tort reform has been a major and controversial issue at the legislature for several years. In past years, tort reform measures have not been able to amass enough votes to get through the Judiciary Committee.

Other measures voted out of committee with amendments include:

HB 1636, RELATING TO EMERGENCY MEDICAL PHYSICIANS, which grants immunity to on-duty emergency room physicians.

HB 310, RELATING TO MEDICAL TORTS. This bill authorizes the court to impose sanctions on a party whose rejection of the Medical Claim Conciliation Panel's decision resulted in a trial, and who, at trial, fails to improve on the panel's award by increasing or decreasing it by at least 30 percent.
All bills will go to the House floor for vote before being able to cross over to the Senate.

House Recommits HB539 on campaign spending

On the House floor today, after hearing concerns on the measure from certain members, Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, chair of Judiciary moved to recommit HB539, RELATING TO CAMPAIGN SPENDING back to the Judiciary committee. The motion passed, and the bill's future is uncertain.

The bill allows a "company" (defined as corporation, partnership, LLC, LLP, financial institution, or any other entity engaged in businss) to make an unlimited contribution into a noncandidate committee that is established by the company.

That noncandidate committee would have been able to make a contribution to a political party under the same restrictions and conditions as an individual person.

No hearing for Death with Dignity Bill

House Judiciary Chairman, Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, today announced that the House of Representatives will not hold a hearing this year on a bill pertaining to the issue of Death with Dignity.

A bill for consideration, HB806, proposes to allow a terminally ill, competent adult to get a lethal dose of medication to end life. It would prohibit mercy killings, lethal injections, and active euthanasia.

“This is an important subject that needs to be discussed,” said Chair Karamatsu. “At this time, the committee has not received a strong push from advocates to hear the bill, therefore, given the full plate before the Judiciary committee, I have decided to not hear the bill this year. I am open to hearing the bill in the future.”

Photo: Supporters of Death with Dignity initiative in Oregon. (Click on photo for link)

Civil unions bill moves forward

Photo: Laurie Cicotello, of Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere (COLAGE), testifies in support of the Civil Unions Bill, and relates to lawmakers her experience of being the daughter of a transgendered parent.

This evening, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously (12-0) passed out House Bill 444, relating to civil unions. Four committee members were excused. The issue was last heard in the 2007 legislative session, but failed to gain enough support to move forward.

The committee amended the bill by including those already registered as reciprocal beneficiaries as ineligible to receive civil union rights in Hawaii. People already in other civil unions or married are also excluded from eligibility.

“It is far from over, but this was a major step forward in advancing equality, understanding, and tolerance,” stated the bill’s sponsor, House Majority Leader Blake K. Oshiro (33 - Aiea, Halawa Valley, Halawa Heights, Aiea Heights).

“Today’s passage shows how much things have changed in just two years,” said Judiciary Committee Chair Jon Riki Karamatsu (41-Waipahu, Village Park, Waikele). The bill, having received a single committee referral will now go to the House floor for a full floor vote before crossing over to the Senate.

“We’ve got some great dialogue on this issue and a real chance at creating some equity within the law,” added Karamatsu.

Electronic Harassment

The House Judiciary Committee today passed out two bills relating to harassment in an effort to further increase protections for people who are being harassed or stalked electronically. House Bills 615 and 622 add electronic communication to the list of defined forms of harassment and harassment by stalking.

“We are taking all forms of abuse and domestic violence extremely serious,” says House Judiciary Chairman Jon Riki Karamatsu (41-Waipahu, Village Park, Waikele). “Passage of these bills will update the current statute with all of the existing forms of today’s technology,” he explains. “It is important that we (legislators) keep current in order to best serve our constituents.”

The bills both received a single committee referral and will now go for a full House floor vote before crossing over to the Senate.

Civil Unions Bill

The Honolulu Advertiser reports today that momentum is building for a Civil Unions bill, which has a good chance of passing the House this year. Story here.

The bill is House Bill 444, introduced by Rep. Blake Oshiro. Thirty two members have signed the bill, and they are: B. OSHIRO, BELATTI, BERG, BERTRAM, BROWER, CARROLL, CHONG, COFFMAN, HANOHANO, KARAMATSU, KEITH-AGARAN, C. LEE, M. LEE, LUKE, MORITA, NAKASHIMA, NISHIMOTO, M. OSHIRO, RHOADS, SAIKI, SAY, TAKAI, TAKUMI, THIELEN, TSUJI, WAKAI, YAMANE, YAMASHITA, Chang, Herkes, Shimabukuro, Wooley.

Bill Description: "Extends the same rights, benefits, protections, and responsibilities of spouses in a marriage to partners in a civil union."

Judiciary Chair, Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu said he will hear the bill, and believes he has the votes to move the bill out of committee.

Na hunehune mea hou - News bits

Rep. Bob Herkes fished the first two years of the Hawaii International Billfish Tournament and, nearly 50 years later, he is still an integral part of the event. In addition to being a state representative and fighting vog, he's the editor of the Bill Fish Bowl - "All the news that's fish, we print." The Bill Fish Bowl is the tournament's daily newspaper; Herkes started working on it with the late Harry Lyons when it was called the Ahi Daily News. Not only that, he's the booming voice announcing on the pier as the boats come in each day. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the Hawaii International Billfish Tournament.

Many saw Rep. Joey Manahan's letter to editor on the recent Elections Office controversy but wondered about his connection to the issue. Rep. Manahan formerly worked at the Office of Elections as an administrator under the former director Dwayne Yoshina.

Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu is teaming up with Senator Clarence Nishihara to produce a new television series on Olelo about Waipahu. They have started videotaping segments. Air dates to be announced.