Refueling in Mid-Air

And they thought politics was a delicate dance? Yesterday, members of the legislature were treated to a special tour of F-15 fighter jets and a demonstration of refueling in mid-air. The visit was hosted by the Hawaii Air National Guard and took place 105 miles off the coast of Honolulu.

Legislators who took the tour were Rep. Ryan Yamane, Sen. Norman Sakamoto, Rep. Barbara Marumoto, Rep. Tom Brower, Rep. Mark Takai, Rep. Kymberly Pine, Rep. Karen Awana and Rep. John Mizuno, accompanied by Adjutant General Robert Lee, National Guard members and legislative staff members. Photos provided by Rep. Tom Brower.

Surfer Girls Catch a Political Wave

According to Betty DePolito, aka Banzai Betty, women's surfing advocate and legendary surfer based on Oahu's North Shore, women's surfing is on the rise. In fact, she figures that the split between the genders within the sport of surfing is 60% women/40% men, yet the men's events continue to dominate the industry, and it's difficult for the women to get permits for "women only" surf events held in Hawaii.

Rep. Mike Magaoay, who represents the North Shore, paddled out to help. Even though the permitting for surf and shore water events is a City and County issue, Rep. Magaoay introduced HCR278 to help the women bring their concerns before the legislature, if only to create greater awareness and get a dialog going with City officials. The resolution was before the House Tourism and Culture committee this morning.

The City has a tough job. They must balance the needs of the surfing events, the recreational surfers, and the impacted community. They are forthright in explaining that City rules and regs allow for a maximum of 16 shore water events on each site of the North Shore per year. There is a holding period not to exceed 15 days, and a cooling off period of at least 10 days between meets. In addition, the evaluation of the permit requests includes the consideration of opportunities for women, a variety of ages, and a range of skill levels. Needless to say, about 50% of the requests for events cannot be accommodated.

After questioning, it appears that the problem has nothing to do with any discrimination within the city's permit process. The problem is more that event promoters often say they are including a women's component within the tournament and then fail to do so. Plus, there are only so many permits granted per year. The bottom line is that there were no professional women's surfing events on the North Shore this year, including the Women's Pipeline.

Bethany Hamilton, the young surfer who inspired all of Hawaii after surviving a shark attack, losing her left arm, and having the courage to get back in the water to compete, offered the following testimony:

To whom it may concern:

I really hope to be able to compete at Pipeline again - just the girls. It's one of the best waves and all of us girls have been honored to have the spot to ourselves for those few years that the contest was on...something that pretty much every surfer dreams of. I can speak for the other girls too in saying that we love surfing and competing at Pipe!

Aloha,

Bethany Hamilton, #2 on Girls ASP Tour at Present, World Tour.

Tourism and Culture Vice Chair, Rep. Joey Manahan, and Chair Ryan Yamane, deferred the measure because it is a City and County issue, and it appears through the discussion that the City Parks and Recreation and the surfing community have a good working relationship. Greater consideration must be taken for women's only events, and a greater understanding is needed on how the women's components are built into the men's events; those two points were made and the parties will continue to work on a schedule sensitive to gender equality.

Chair Yamane thanks his committee

Prior to decision making, Chair Yamane took the time to thank his committee for their hard work and support during the past two years. As a first time chair, he appreciated the opportunity to chair Tourism and Culture, and was grateful for having former Chair, Rep. Jerry Chang, on the committee for institutional knowledge and guidance. He also thanked the two Republican members of the committee for their cooperation. It was the last time the committee would meet during this session, as next week is the start of the Conference period.

Kilt me a resolution, lad

In the Legislature this year, there is a House resolution that would support Tartan Day in Hawaii on April 6 of every year.

Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colors. It's the fabric the Scots and Irish use to make kilts, and what we in America call plaid and use to dress up catholic school girls.

The resolution names a few notable persons of Scottish heritage who have contributed to the development of Hawaii, including Captain Alexander Adams, a confidant of King Kamehameha the Great and James Campbell, the founder of the underground fresh water table that irrigated the dry Ewa plain to grow sugarcane.

Photo (L-R): Rep. Manahan with Lillian Cunningham, Douglas Herring and Heather MacGregor, supporters of the "Tartan Resolution."

Did you know that our state has its own tartan that honors the ali'i with red and yellow bands? This is what it looks like:

Douglas Herring, vice-chieftan of the Caledonian Society of Hawaii, created the tartan with Hawaii's unique history in mind. He combined blue squares to represent Hawaii's oceans and skies, green squares to symbolize Hawaii's landscapes, and finally brown stripes that connect all the colors to represent the people of Hawaii.

Tartans were originally regional symbols that represented different areas of Scotland, Ireland and other Celtic countries. Today several states, military organizations and sports teams have adopted their own tartan creation, and many of them are registered with The Scottish Tartan Authority, including Hawaii's Tartan.

Several representatives stood in support of the resolution at today's House session, siting Scottish ancestry and revealing the contributions relatives have made to the state. Rep. Robert Herkes, for example, was born in Scotland and his Scottish grandfather built the first concrete building on the Big Island.

Rep. McKelvey added in a surprisingly convincing Scottish accent, "Thank you very much lad." Seeing this resolution pass through the legislature is like having "fine haggis on a dew scot morning."

Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish made from lung, liver and heart of a sheep and mixed with oatmeal and spices than stuffed into the sheep's stomach. Yummy!! You can serve them with tatties and neeps as well. (That's potatoes and turnips to ye.)

Penny for your thought

Photo (L-R): Jesse Alvarado, Lon Paresa and Mark Villamor with the many boxes of wrapped pennies from the "Penny Wars."

The battle of the pennies has finally come to an end at the State Capitol. The "Penny Wars" fundraiser to benefit the Hawaii FoodBank accumulated 160,000 pennies.

Who were the lucky few to load, count and pack these shiny, copper pebbles? Thanks to Rep. Blake Oshiro's office staff and a few musclemen (see photo above) from Sergeant at Arms, the Hawaii FoodBank will receive $1600 in donations.

Opihi lovers have luck of the Irish

Photo: Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Island Opihi Co.

If SB6 is passed into law, sales of Hawaiian opihi will be banned in the state come January 1, 2010. Unless you're willing to brave crashing waves along rocky coastlines to gather your own opihi for the New Year, what's an opihi lover to do?

As luck would have it, Hawaiians have started importing opihi from Ireland. Okay, they're actually called limpets over on the Emerald Isle, but they are close enough to pass the taste test of Noelani Josselin, former part owner of A Pacific Cafe on Kauai, who imports Irish opihi through her Island Opihi Co. The Irish cousin (Patella vulgata) is closest in resemblance to the Yellowfoot opihi. Apparently, the Irish used to eat what they called "barnacs" in times of famine, but not any more, so the Irish opihi are plentiful.

There are four types of edible Hawaiian opihi:

Blackfoot (cellana exarata) found in the upper wash of the waves, Yellowfoot (cellana sanwicensis) found in the wash of waves and most preferred for eating, Koele (cellana talcosa) also known as known as "kneecap", and a variety found on Kauai and Niihau (cellana melanostoma.)

The ban does not include the selling of opihi shells of more than one and one quarter inch in diameter. The ban may be lifted if the Department of Land and Natural Resources adopts rules regulating opihi taking prior to January 1, 2010.

Tattoo You

Photo: The Honolulu Advertiser

Rep. John Mizuno wants to make it clear that the bill to deregulate tattoo artists, HB2283 was not the original intention of the bill that he introduced, and even he had grave concerns over the way the Senate version inserted the deregulation language. In a statement yesterday, Mizuno said:

"I had concerns with the changes to the bill that were recommended by the Department of Health, specifically repealing the tattoo licensure procedures and requirements, and allowing someone from out of state to simply register as a tattoo artist in Hawaii without oversight."

The original intent was to allow tattoo artists to participate in and practice at state trade shows. It was not meant to deregulate the industry which, in Rep. Mizuno's mind, has serious health and safety issues. Back in March, when the bill morphed into a repeal of license requirements, Mizuno told media: "You don't have as much oversight with just registration, and there's an unintended consequence that there may be unqualified artists practicing. So, where's the oversight?"

The Senate recommitted the bill back to the Ways and Means committee, essentially killing it for this year. Rep. Mizuno wants the Department of Health to work with him and the tattoo artists on another bill for 2009.

Books, bebop, bites and bazaar

Representatives Pono Chong, Clift Tsuji and Kyle Yamashita have collected a ton of books, CDs, and DVDs for their "Bizarre Bazaar" tomorrow in room 325. The fundraiser benefits the Hawaii FoodBank.

Come and get lunch and browse through the donated items, including a dozen Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum hardcover novels. The genres range from romance to science fiction to self-help books.

If you're looking to add to your VHS collection, be the first one there to rummage through over 60 films.

I have my eye on Britney Spears' debut CD Baby one more time. Hands off!

Pirates of the Somalian Coast

It seems like a story from another a time or a feature film. Over the weekend, The Ponant, a French luxury yacht was hijacked by pirates while returning from the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean. The pirates lead the yacht down the Somalian coast where the government has struggled to assert control after nearly a decade of violence and anarchy. Their militia is poorly paid and the country does not have a navy for maritime protection and control.

Thirty crew members are being held hostage by at least 10 suspected pirates who stormed the vessel. News articles report that 22 crew members are French and the rest are Ukranian or Korean, including 6 woman.

In an act of international community support, Rep. Rida Cabanilla sent a letter to the President of the United Nations General Assembly petitioning the assembly to issue a resolution that condemns the pirate attack on The Ponant and demands the release of the hostages. The petition was signed by 13 other lawmakers.

Rep. Cabanilla addressed the pirates in a press realease announcing the petition. "The whole world is watching; you can run, but you can't hide," she said.

The French government made contact with the pirates yesterday but have not revealed whether they have considered paying a ransom. In August, Denmark's government paid a ransom two months after the hijacking of a Danish cargo ship by Somili pirates. Piracy has risen 10 percent in 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau. More than a dozen ships were captured last year along the Somalian coast.

"Piracy represent a clear and present danger to both our national and international security interest, as well as a barbaric plague that persists upon our twenty-first century world," said Rep. Cabanilla.

Second Crossover Bills of Interest

Tomorrow, the House will hear a long agenda of Senate bills on third reading, and the Senate will hear the House bills. The bills that pass third reading will sit for 48 hours before crossing back to the originating chamber on Thursday, April 10th, the second crossover deadline.

The House Speaker will pound the gavel tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m., and you can view the proceedings on Olelo.org or Oceanic Ch. 49. The Senate starts at 10:00 a.m., and you can watch it on Oceanic Ch. 53.

What's up on our order of the day? Here's a sampling:

SB3174 Relating to Affordable Housing. Extends the sunset date of the increased conveyance tax allocation to the Rental Housing Trust Fund. Appropriates funds for expedited thir party review of affordable projects.

SB2842 Relating to Lighting. Beginning January 1, 2010, phases out and bans the use of certain lighting products with lead and high mercury content. Establishes a statewide lighting efficiency standard for general purpose lights.

SB3255 Relating to Long Term Care. Establishes a long-term care commission to: 1)research what resources are necessary to prvoide a continuum of long-term care services to meet state long-term care public policy goals; and 2)recommend a program and funding mechanism that can provide these sservices.

SB2850 Relating to Biosecurity. Establishes and appropriates funds of the Department of Agriculture's biosecurity program.

SB2782 Relating to Metal. Includes beer kegs in laws intended to prevent theft and resale of copper by making theft of a beer keg a misdemeanor and including beer kegs in the laws regulating scrap dealers.

SB2245 Relating to Unattended Children in Motor Vehicles. Makes it a violation of the statewide traffic code to leave a child under age 9 alone or with a minor under age 12 for 5 minutes or longer in a motor vehicle.

SB6 Relating to Opihi. Prohibits selling or offering to sell opihi, except for opihi sold or offered for sale as a curio or jewelry.

SB2212 Relating to Crime. Enables prosecution of human trafficking.

SB2900 Relating to Public Lands. Permits a county to enforce traffic and highway safety laws on, as well as repair or maintain, public streets, roads, or highways whose ownership is in dispute between the State and County without a presumptionn of ownership arising from those actions.

SB651 Relating to Recycling. Establishes a statewide at-store plastic carryout bag recycling program.

SB2218 Relating to Electronic Monitoring. Allows the court, as a condition of probation, to prohibit the defendant's contact with a protected party through the establishment of court-defined geographic exclusion zones, and use of global positioning satellite tracking device if defendant violates domestic abuse temporary restraining order or protective order.

SB2828 Relating to Disaster Relief. Activates provisions of the State's disaster relief law to apply to emergencies, except for enemy attack. Clarifies the use of the Governor's emergency powers in response to a natural or manmade disaster.

SB2421 Relating to Land Acquisition. Authorizes the Governor to acquire lands owned by the Galbraith Estate in central Oahu.

SB958 Relating to Genetically Modified Organisms. Places a five-year moratorium on genetic modification of Hawaiian taro.

SB2878 Relating to Early Learning. Establishes an early learning system in the state.

SB2423 Relating to Land Acquisition. Directs the Governor to acquire lands owned by Kuilima Resort Company, commonly known as Turtle Bay Hotel and Resort.

SB3202 Proposing an amendment to the Hawaii Constitution to extend the mandatory retirement age for state justices and judges from 70 to 80 years of age.

SB966 Proposing an amendment to Article V, Section 1, of the Hawaii constitution, to change the age qualification for the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor from the age of 30 years to the age of 25 years.

SB945 Relating to Ethics. Prohibits state officials from employing or influencing the employment of immediate family members in positions under the official's supervisory authority. Prohibits state agencies, body corporate, and public instrumentalities from entering into contracts valued at $10,000 or more per year with legislators or their businesses.

SB2342 Relating to the Auditor. Requires the auditor to conduct a performance audit of the Saguaro Correctional Facility in Eloy, Arizona, which houses Hawaii prisoners.

SB1311 Relating to Salary Payments. Prohibits the use of any appropriations for the payment of salaries of state employees who coerce, intimidate, or otherwise prevent subordinates from sharing information at legislative hearings or in response to other legislative inquiries.

SB3048 Relating to Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. Extends the maximum term of commercial leases on Hawaiian Home Lands from 65 to 99 years, including extensions.

SB1934 Relating to Taxation. Adds a variety of tax credits; repeals the Ko Olina Resort and Marina and Makaha Resort tax credit.

SB2153 Relating to Income Tax Credit. Provides a $1 refundable tax credit, as is constitutionally mandated under the state constitution.

"You guys are looking at miracles"

On Saturday morning, the State Capitol was quiet, except for a small conference room where dozens of former prison inmates and ex-offenders gathered for a chance to tell their story. The Senate Committee on Public Safety and the House Committee on Public Safety and Military Affairs held a joint information briefing entitled, "Life on the Outside", intended to draw from the personal experience of those who have been in prison and what it was like to re-enter society.

When I entered the conference room, the briefing had already been in session for over 2 hours. A news cameraman who had gotten his shots and was about to leave commented, "That was some of the most amazing testimony I've heard here." Indeed, one by one, Rep. Cindy Evans, and Senators Will Espero, Clarence Nishihara and Norman Sakamoto, listened to stories, sometimes heart-wrenching, of what it's really like, what is needed, where we succeed, where we fail, and what should be done.

And, as a man named Eddie pointed out, "You guys are looking at miracles. The fact that I am sitting here talking to you, and that these people are in this room telling their stories, is a miracle. All the people that didn't make it aren't here."

Snippets:

Franklin said, "A hardened criminal is easier to change than a dope addict. The addict will always do what he needs to do in order to feed his habit. You can change a hardened criminal."

James said, "We are dealing with a disease - drug addiction. We need more support for treatment rather than locking people up. Treatment is money well spent. We need an alternative to warehousing people."

John said, "When I was in Halawa, they diagnosed me as depressed. Yeah, I just got sent to prison, of course I'm depressed. When I got out, I wasn't depressed. Regardless of the time of the sentence, they are all going to come out at some point, and they all need treatment.

Peter said, "There is a lack of common sense and accountability in the system. I'm trying to help a man who was released from prison without his medication. He's bi-polar. How is he going to survive without his medication? That is stupid and cruel. People in the business community are willing to help, from the inside out. Help the system, not just the people."

John said, "You need to give them something to do. An idle mind is the devil's workshop."

Sam said, "I was in and out since I was 11 years old. One day a guard made a comment that I would be back in 6 months. That hurt my soul, and it made me determined to change. I now help with a mentorship program. We need to show inmates that they have potential . They have pressures - they need to find a job, they need to support their children - but how are they going to find a job with a criminal record? Some guys don't want to do religion. Some guys don't want to do AA. You have to educate yourself from the inside out. It takes time, like learning to walk again.

Marvin said, "For most of the youth, their parents were incarcerated, or on drugs, or alcoholics. The kids want to be like their parents. Or, they think, if my father doesn't care, why should I? When I was in prison, I realized that I needed to change, and that I wanted to be a re-builder, not a destroyer. We need to uplift our community.

Charles said, "I'm a volunteer at OCCC. I also run a ministry. But one of the rules is that if I'm going to be a volunteer, I can't have any contact with the inmates once they get out of prison. That's crazy. How can we help these people to re-integrate?

Lorraine said, "Sometimes, what people need is an 'enlightened witness'. You can't take away the trauma, but you can help them to help themselves and manage their overwhelm."

Gary said, "Once a con, always a con. That's how society sees prisoners. Gang involvement in Hawaii is up 20% and it's coming from inside the prisons.

Edward said, "I was living lawless. The most important thing for me when I came out was to live with a sense of order. That's more important than money."

Jackson said, "The mainland prisons don't care about the Hawaii people. Why are you giving them money? It's only about the money for them."

Ben said, "I have radio show on KAIM called Gospel Connection. We are working with WCCC to provide solar powered radios for the women inmates. They can check out the transistors from the chaplain just like a library book. There are two stations; one is for bible teaching and the other is Christian music."

Tommy said, "There are 250,000 people on probation statewide. Seven out of ten will end up being re-sentenced."

Seat belts on school buses

Photo: Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The Kahuku High School school bus turned on its side.

Rep. Marilyn Lee has been an advocate for seat belts on school buses for several years. When past legislation failed to make it through the legislature, she introduced House Resolution 62, which urges the Board of Education to only purchase or lease large school buses with seats that have seat belt assemblies, and backs that are at least 24 inches in height.

The resolution states that most school bus fatalities occur due to rollovers, and that is exactly what happened on Thursday, April 3rd, when a school bus transporting the Kahuku High School girls water polo team swerved to avoid an oncoming car on Kamehameha Highway, and rolled over on its side into Waikane Stream. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin has a story this morning here.

The Department of Education is concerned about the cost of purchasing buses with seat belts. There is ongoing debate on whether it is safer or more dangerous to have seat belts on buses. The Kahuku incident helps frame the issue on a more personal level. Fortunately, there were no fatalities or severe injuries in the accident. The 26 girls on the team were checked out and released from various hospitals that evening.

"Caregivers Recognition Day" bill signed into law

Representative John Mizuno applauded the enactment of a bill that would establish the first Saturday of November as "Caregivers Recognition Day."

"Our state is committed to supporting all caregivers by recognizing their personal sacrifices, caring hearts, and tireless work. Hawaii's caregivers' selfless devotion to our kupuna and the disabled represents the awesome spirit of aloha," said Rep. Mizuno.

The Lt. Governor today signed HB2138, HD1 into law as Act 6.

The new law will celebrate and publicly acknowledge the significant role that caregivers play in support of Hawaii's elderly and disabled persons.

"One of Hawaii's most important values is compassion for our people. We must do our very best to see that every citizen is treated with dignity and respect," said Rep. Mizuno. "Hawaii's caregivers, including professional and family caregivers, have demonstrated personal sacrifice, love, compassion, and complete dedication in caring for those who can not care for themselves."

Free Legislative Learning Workshops in Kauai

The Legislature will host free workshops, "The Informed Citizen," on Kauai, April 10-16, to help residents understand the legislative process and provide tips on how to get their community issues more attention without leaving the island.

Suzanne Marinelli, Coordinator for the Hawaii State Legislature's Public Access Room, will present the free workshops at the following locations and times:

Thursday, 4/10/08
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Kapaa Library Conference Room

Friday, 4/11/08
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Lihue Library Conference Room

Monday, 4/14/08
5:00 pm – 6:30 pm*
Kilauea Neighborhood Center

Tuesday, 4/15/08
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Koloa Library Conference Room

Wednesday, 4/16/08
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Waimea Neighborhood Center

The Public Access Room is the public's office at the State Capitol, and is a division of the non-partisan Legislative Reference Bureau.

Kauai residents, who are interested in politics and want to understand the legislative process and how to get involved without leaving Kauai, as well as learn how to write effective testimony that will find its way into the hands of the right person at the right time, are encouraged to attend.

Real-time survey -- from phone to net -- on controversial issues

Rep. Tom Brower recently launched an Oahu-wide survey on four controversial issues --tax rebate, death with dignity, civil unions and rail transit -- on his personal legislative website.

So, how does the survey work? An automated telephone poll will randomly contact over 50,000 registered voters over a 10-day period that began on April 1, posing the following questions:

1. If there were a $100 tax rebate, would you want the money back or would you let the state use it for construction and repairs?

2. Should terminally ill patients be allowed to die with physicians assistance?

3. Should Hawaii legally recognize civil union partnerships for same sex couples?

4. Do you support a rail transit system in Hawaii?


You can also take the survey online at here.


I gave it a test drive a few minutes ago. After clicking on the survey link, the website prompts you to type in a 7-digit telephone number. I inputted my cell phone number and started the survey. Less than a minute later, after submitting my survey, real-time results were displayed. You can also see the results of the the survey without taking it here.

The internet survey has an approximate 28.0 percent margin of error, which is a given since anyone around the world can go online and type in any number from the Oahu phonebook to take the survey. So far, only 12 people have taken the survey online.

On the other hand, the telephone surveys that get calculated automatically on the website has an average 4.2 percent margin of error.

Here are the results of the phone survey, out of 499 responses, as of 11:41 a.m.:

• 57.9 percent of respondents would want their tax rebate of $100 back.


• 66.5 percent of respondents say that physician assisted death should be legal.


• Civil union votes are split with 43.3 percent of respondents saying yes to same sex couples being recognized in a civil union, and 41.3 percent saying no.


• Support for the rail transit system is also split with 47.3 percent opposing the rail and 43.1 percent in support.

Legislature 2008 - Day 45 Second Decking

Today is the 45th day of the 2008 Legislative session, and the second decking deadline is tonight at 10:00 p.m.

This means that by 10 p.m. tonight, all House standing committee reports and amended Senate bills must be filed with the Chief Clerk's Office to be decked for the Third Reading vote.

Monday, April 7th, is a recess day. The caucuses will meet to discuss third reading bills and consider what bills may be placed on a consent calendar.

The House floor action to pass bills on Third Reading is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8th, floor session to start at 9:00 a.m.

Speaker Emeritus Souki Testifies on Rate Regulation Bill

It was a scramble and a long shot, but House leaders are still looking at ways to help the interisland airline industry in Hawaii, and late yesterday resurrected a bill that proposes rate regulation. HB2250, Relating to Transportation, establishes a "statutory scheme for the state regulation of interisland air carriers, to the extent permissible under the Constitution and laws of the United States."

The bill was introduced this session by Rep. Bob Herkes. It was referred to the committees on Transportation and Finance. It passed the Transportation committee, chaired by Rep. Joe Souki, passed second reading, but did not get a hearing in Finance, until yesterday at around 3:30 p.m. The push for regulation, of course, has surfaced due to the Aloha Airlines bankruptcy, and the discussion at the informational briefing held on Wednesday. Chair Souki believes that if regulation had been in place, Aloha would still be flying.

So, at the end of the floor session, Rep. Marilyn Lee, Vice Chair of Finance, requested a waiver of the 48-hour notice requirement to hear HB2250, which was granted. There were two testifiers:

Speaker Emeritus Souki started with a laugh, "This is the first time I'm sitting here – now I know what it feels like to be facing the chair and the members – not knowing what my fate is going to be…"

He went on to explain that this bill is not new – it was first passed in 1993, but it needs enabling legislation by the Congress, and that was never acted upon.

He believes that Congress should give Hawaii the authority to regulate interisland air carriers because we are unique. We don't have sufficient highways that connect us to the other counties. As an island state, we need interisland transportation to survive.

"If we had this bill in place, maybe this (meaning Aloha) would not have happened. If we had this in place, we would have a fairer distribution of flights. Areas of the state would be serviced more equally. We need to consider passing this bill so that we won't be in this kind of predicament again, and not allow another predatory airline in the future. The consumer may benefit in the short term from deregulation because of the low fares, but not in the long term. Here in Hawaii, we need regulations."

Wayne Wakeman, a former pilot for Aloha Airlines also testified. Wakeman serves as a spokesman for all of Aloha's unions. Here are some of his comments:

"Ironically, I got the call from Rep. Caldwell's office to come testify on this bill as I was cleaning out my locker at Aloha. I started 30 years ago in customer service at United. At the time, Pan Am was the major airline. And then we had deregulation, and pretty soon we had other airlines coming into Hawaii, like Braniff. It was good for competition.

But for interisland carriers, regulation may be good. It will, believe it or not, stimulate competition. When fares are regulated, people will start to choose an airline based on service, not on price.

Mesa has other routes on the mainland where they can charge high prices. They can charge a low fare here because they have other mainland routes where they can charge high fares and make up for it.

Something needs to be done. Aloha is history. This will help Hawaiian and Mesa. Ironically, it will help Mesa.

Investors should not be afraid to lose money because of a fare war.

Aloha never indicated that they were going to shutdown. When they filed for bankruptcy, we thought that they needed to protect their assets, but they never came to us for concessions. It was a total surprise.

You have to realize that the difference between Aloha and Hawaiian is that Aloha is a privately owned company and Hawaiian is a public company. A private company can't just go to an investor and ask them for another $10 million to cover payroll. Whereas, if you're a public company, you can sell more stocks, and yes, the stock price may come down, but you can make it up."

There was some discussion based on the premise that Congress has already provided an exemption for Alaska, but the House has not been able to confirm that. The measure was passed unanimously with an amendment to strike the repeal date of 6/30/2015, and with Reps Belatti, Rhoads and Meyer voting with reservations.

Happy Birthday Rep. Nishimoto!

Yesterday was Rep. Scott Nishimoto's 34th Birthday. If you haven't already, wish him a Happy Birthday!

Agriculture Committee passes GMO Taro bill with amendments

Rep. Clift Tsuji, Chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, announced today the committee passed out SB958, in an amended form, to include a five-year moratorium on genetically modifying any Hawaiian taro within the state. The moratorium does not include non-Hawaiian varieties of taro.

In his opening statement to the committee, Rep. Tsuji emphasized that the bill does not prohibit or discourage the research, testing and planting of genetically modified non-Hawaiian taro. Further, the bill does not prohibit or discourage the genetic modification of any plant organism other than Hawaiian taro.

"The day-long hearing on this bill was very informative, and I think our members were appreciative of the thoughtful and well-researched points from testifiers on both sides," said Rep. Tsuji. "As a result of that day, we worked very hard to reach a fair compromise, and one that is respectful of both the Hawaiian culture and scientific research."

The measure passed the committee with a vote of seven (7) ayes, two (2) ayes with reservations, and three (3) noes. The ayes were: Brower, Chang, Herkes, Manahan, Tsuji, Yamane, Yamashita. The WR's were: Ching, Wakai. The noes were: Berg, Hanohano, Meyer.

The effective date of the bill is July 1, 2008. The bill now goes to the entire House for a floor vote. If passed by the House, the bill goes back to the Senate. If the Senate does not agree with the House amendments, the bill will head to a conference committee.

Honoring Hawaii's athletes...past and present

The Legislature congratulated the Farrington High School Boys Basketball team for their Division 2 state championship win during a special floor presentation today. (Rep. Joey Manahan and Rep. Ken Ito are pictured with the boys and coaches.)

Photo (left to right): Rep. Tokioka, Michael Sullivan (son of Frank Sullivan), Frank Sullivan, Rep. Herkes

Reps. James Tokioka, Roland Sagum, Hermina Morita and Robert Herkes, on behalf of the Legislature, honored Frank Sullivan for his induction into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. Read more about Sullivan in a previous blog post here.

The Spirit of Small Business

It takes a special person to succeed as a small business owner. Today, the House recognized the hard work, dedication and perseverance of those entrepreneurs who are the 2008 U.S. Small Business Administration Award Recipients. The resolution was offered by Rep. Kyle Yamashita, the Chair of the House Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns.

Left to right: Thomas Park, Bill Spencer, Bev Gannon, Kyle Yamashita, Representative for David Fell, Rex Matsuno, Pam Tumpap, Johnson Choi

Small Business Person of the Year

Beverly "Bev" Gannon - Haliimaile General Store Inc. and Nene Grill, Inc. from Makawao, Maui.

Entrepreneurial Success

Rex Matsuno - Suisan Company, Ltd., from Hilo, Hawaii.

Small Business Exporter

David Fell - Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery, Inc. from Hilo, Hawaii.

Family Owned Small Business

Jonathan Ota - Tip Top Cafe & Bakery from Lihue, Kauai.

Financial Services Champion

William "Bill" A. Spencer - Hawaii Venture Capital Association from Kailua, Oahu.

Minority Small Business Champion

Johnson W.K. Choi - Hong Kong, China. Hawaii Chamber of Commerce from Honolulu.

Small Business Journalist

Pamela Tumpap - Maui Chamber of Commerce from Kahului, Maui.

Young Entrepreneur of the Year

Thomas P. Park - Leather Soul LLC, from Honolulu.

Women in Business Champion

Joan A. Seery - BNJ Hawaii Networking Institute and Serious Business Solutions.