HEALTH COMMITTEES TO HEAR TESTIMONY ON DRUG TAKE BACK AND DISPOSAL PROGRAMS TO FIGHT THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC

WHO:             Representative John Mizuno, Chair, House Committee on Health

Senator Rosalyn Baker, Chair, Senate Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Health

WHAT:          Informational Briefing to review Hawaiʻi’s policy on safe drug take back and disposal programs to fight the opioid epidemic

WHEN:          Thursday, November 21, 2019

                        10 a.m.

                       

WHERE:       Hawaii State Capitol

                        Room 309

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi –The House Committee on Health and the Senate Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health Committee will hold an informational briefing policy on the prescription drug take back program and the efficiency of onsite destruction of opioids in room 309 at 10 a.m. Nov. 21 at the State Capitol.

HB1272 which was signed into law on July 2, 2019 as Act 183 allows for the safe prescription drug take back and disposal program being utilized by CVS Long's and 17 of their pharmacies statewide.

According to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency: 200 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose; 2,000 Americans suffer an overdose every day; and from 1999 to 2017, more than 700,000 people have died from a drug overdose.

JUDICIARY COMMITTEES TO HEAR UPDATES ON STATEWIDE VOTING BY MAIL PROCESS

WHO:             Representative Chris Lee, Chair, House Committee on Judiciary

Senator Karl Rhoads, Chair, Senate Committee Judiciary

WHAT:          Informational Briefing on the statewide voting by mail process

WHEN:          Wednesday, November 13, 2019

                        2 p.m.

                       

WHERE:       Hawaii State Capitol

                        Room 016

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi –The House and Senate Judiciary Committees will hold a joint informational briefing on the statewide voting by mail process at 2 p.m. Nov. 13 in room 016 at the State Capitol.

The purpose of this briefing is to update the status of the implementation of voting by mail pursuant to Act 136, Session Laws of Hawaii 2019.  Act 136 requires that all elections in the State be conducted by mail commencing with the 2020 election cycle.

Speakers include:

• Scott Nago, Chief Election Officer, State of Hawai‘i;
• Jon Henricks, County Clerk, County of Hawai‘i;
• Josiah Nishita, County Clerk, County of Maui;
• Jade Fountain-Tanigawa, County Clerk, County of Kaua‘i; and
• Glen Takahashi, City Clerk, City & County of Honolulu.

My Turn: Energy code shows proactive plan against climate change

By Nicole Lowen / My Turn | Friday, November 1, 2019
West Hawaii Today

Recent news coverage of the county council’s work on amending the building code, and the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), seems to be missing the point. Specifically, the point that the higher efficiency standards required by the code for new construction will save homeowners, businesses, and taxpayers more than $1 billion in energy costs over the next few decades.

Yes, the codes need small adjustments to be customized for each county’s unique considerations— which is why the counties are given an ample two-year window to make amendments. Yes, in cooler areas and higher elevations, the tropical code should remain an option. However, it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that the new code, overall, protects consumers; ensures comfortable, healthy and cost-effective homes; facilitates compatibility with new technology; and cuts carbon emissions to boot.

We should be wary of anyone who tries to frame this long-overdue building code update as a tradeoff between affordable housing and environmental objectives, and focuses narrowly on cost increases on the construction side while selectively ignoring the positive impacts and the significant net cost reductions over the lifecycle of a home or building.

There has been a lot of pushback from the construction industry about these codes, which went into effect unamended after the county failed to take any action inside of their two-year window.

But, responsible builders and architects will agree that we should not cut one-time construction costs at the expense of health, comfort, safety, and financial savings for homeowners over the long-term.

This past summer was the hottest on record and we are beginning to experience the impacts of climate change in real time: heat and humidity are worsening, cooling trade winds are less frequent, and the zone in which passive cooling measures are enough to keep homes comfortable is shrinking. The demand for air conditioning is soaring and will continue to grow.

REPRESENTATIVE MIZUNO ASKS U.S. ATTORNEY GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE NEW YORK CITY POLICY OF SENDING HOMELESS PEOPLE TO HAWAIʻI

Honolulu, Hawaiʻi – Representative John M. Mizuno (Kalihi Valley, Kamehameha Heights, portion of Lower Kalihi) has sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr asking that his agency investigate New York City's policy of sending homeless citizens to other states across our nation.

In his letter, Mizuno says an investigation is needed following the New York Post's front page article of October 26, 2019 titled "NYC secretly exports homeless to Hawaii and other states without telling receiving pols."

The article alleges that New York Mayor Bill de Blasio's "Special One-Time Assistance Program" (SOTA) has since its inception in August 2017 exported 12,482 homeless individuals to 32 states.

"The SOTA program to my knowledge fails to comply with ensuring the safety, well-being, and continued support which is needed for a homeless individual or family being displaced. The SOTA program is a recipe for disaster and inhumane to the homeless being exported out of New York," Mizuno said in his letter.