Judge Reynaldo Graulty honored in floor presentation

In Photo (L-R bottom) Rep. Henry Aquino, Rep. Lynn Finnegan, Rep. Corinne Ching, the Honorable Judge Reynaldo Graulty, his wife Gigi Graulty, Rep. Kymberly Pine, Rep. Glenn Wakai, Rep. Michael Magaoay, Rep. Gilbert Keith-Agaran; (L-R top) Rep. Jerry Chang, Rep. Rida Cabanilla, Rep. Joey Manahan, Rep. Tom Brower

The House today congratulated the Honorable Judge Reynaldo Graulty on the occasion of his retirement as a Circuit Court Judge in a special floor presentation at the Hawaii State Capitol. Representatives Glenn Wakai and Tom Brower offered House Resolution 285 that honored the former senator and state representative.

Rep. Wakai gave a congratulatory speech to honor Judge Graulty:

There are very few people who can say they’ve worked in EVERY branch of government in Hawaii, but today’s honoree has distinguished himself in all three.

Colleagues, I would like to acknowledge the contributions by Reynaldo Graulty – former State Representative and Senator, former Insurance Commissioner, and former Circuit Court Judge.

Judge Graulty, retired from the bench on March 1 after spending 27 years serving the people of Hawaii.
As a young boy growing up in the Manila. He was the eldest of six children. His father was an American in the foreign service and his mother a Filipina.
It was his dream to one day live in America, so on his 18th birthday, he registered for the draft.
He left to study in the U.S., venturing to the State University of New York at Albany. He lived with relatives and would eventually graduate with a bachelor's degree in History and Political Science.

In 1972 he moved to Hawaii as an Infantry Officer at Schofield Barracks.
Following completion of his military service, Graulty used his GI Bill benefits to attend the University of Hawaii’s Richardson School of Law.

Judge Graulty was elected to the House of Representatives in 1982, representing the OASIS of Honolulu -- Salt Lake and Moanalua. He was re-elected in 19-84…

Despite his rising political career, Graulty left the House in 19-86 to spend more time with his family and concentrate on his newly created law practice. Graulty, Evangelista & Quiban – a firm specializing in labor law.

Graulty was once again bitten by an itch for public service and returned to this building in 1992.
He served in the Senate as the Chairman of Human Services committee and later judiciary chair.
One of his legislative legacies was creating a Blueprint for Change on how we can better address child abuse and neglect in this state.

Judge Graulty was appointed by Governor Cayetano as the Commissioner of the State Insurance Commission in 19-97.
As Insurance Commissioner he was able to reform our no-fault auto insurance law. At the time, Hawaii drivers were paying the second highest auto insurance premiums in the nation.
As a result of his work, drivers saw a drop of 20-percent on their auto insurance premiums, the largest reduction in the nation.
As Insurance Commissioner, he was also instrumental in HEMIC's early success.

In 1999, he was appointed and confirmed as a Circuit Court Judge. Early on, he took on one of the largest cases of government fraud in Honolulu history.
Judge Graulty presided over the Ewa Villages scandal where Michael Kahapea was convicted and sentenced for stealing $5.8 million from taxpayers.
He says the ultimate satisfaction of sitting on the bench came from the week in, week out, trials that lead to a safer community.

Now in retirement, he plans to take a trip to the Robert Trent Jones Trail in Alabama next month to play 10 rounds of golf in 6 days, then he will settle in to be a full time grandpa.

Over his illustrious career in government, Reynaldo Graulty made substantial contributions to state policy, protection of consumers, and the administration of justice.

Many of his initiatives will continue to better our community in the decades to come.

Today, Judge Reynaldo Graulty, we honor you for your outstanding contributions to the people of Hawaii.

Congratulations!!