Maui Memorial Helipad Dedication

Maui Memorial Helipad Blessing. Left to right: Dr. Colin Lee, Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, Rep. Gilbert Keith-Agaran, CEO Wes Lo, Rep. Kyle Yamashita, Anthony P. Takitani

- Photo Credit: Wendy Osher

On Thursday, September 22, 2011, Maui Memorial Medical Center dedicated the opening of a new helipad that will allow for faster transport of patients, especially cardiac patients.

The helicopter will begin trial landings on Monday, September 26, 2011. It is expected to save between 10-15 minutes over the previous landing site at the War Memorial Complex in Wailuku. The Maui delegation worked collectively to secure funding through the state legislature, approximately $3 million.

According to MMMC CEO Wes Lo, Maui is now the only neighbor island that is able to treat emergency heart attack victims. Lawmakers praised Wes Lo's vision for the project and his efforts to make it a reality for Maui residents.

See video and more photos at MauiNow.com.

Australia's National Broadband Network - Worth the Watch

David Lassner, University of Hawaii's Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer, shared this video on Australia's National Broadband Network with attendees at the recent Council of State Governments - WEST conference. His presentation was on what Hawaii has accomplished in the past few years on achieving access to broadband for Hawaii residents and businesses. Lassner served as Chair with Rep. Kyle Yamashita on the Hawaii Broadband Task Force. Yamashita chaired the CSG-WEST session on economic development.

This is a well done, informative and engaging piece on the benefits of broadband and how it will benefit your activities at home:

Broadband Hot Shots

This appeared in MidWeek this week:

Bill For Broadband Infrastructure

Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed House Bill 1342 June 21. The bill, now Act 151, expedites the permitting process for broadband infrastructure. With this measure, broadband providers are exempt from state and county permitting requirements for installation, construction and development of broadband infrastructure for a five-year period. Pictured (from left) are Norm Santos, Ret. Vice Adm. Robert Kihune, Everrett Kaneshige, state Rep. Kyle Yamashita, Abercrombie, state Sens. Carol Fukunaga and David Ige, and John Komeiji.

Kula Hospital Expansion

SHPDA - The State Health Planning and Development Agency - has approved a certificate of need for a 15-bed expansion of Kula Hospital. This allows certain patients who are currently in acute care beds at Maui Memorial to transfer to long-term care beds, a more appropriate level of care for them, at Kula Hospital. It then frees up space for patients who need the acute care at Maui Memorial.

$5 million appropriated by the legislature and released by the governor will be used for the expansion. Wesley Lo, executive of the Maui region for the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation credited Rep. Kyle Yamashita (at left) and Sen. Shan Tsutsui for helping to secure the funds.

The full Maui News story is here.

Maui lawmakers weigh in on DOE furloughs

The Maui News today printed an article previewing the types of legislation state lawmakers may propose this session to end state teacher furloughs and get students back in the classroom. The 2010 Legislative Session opens tomorrow, and lawmakers have until Wednesday, January 27, 2010 to introduce bills.

You can read the entire article here.

Or read excerpts of what some members of Maui's delegation had to say:

• "State Rep. Gil Keith-Agaran has joined his seven freshman colleagues in the House in proposing that the state Department of Education be mandated to offer 190 instructional days per school year."

• "State Rep. Joe Souki, a Democrat who serves Central Maui residents, said the mandate of 190 instructional days is 'fine, but where are you going to find the money for that? . . . You can't mandate something if you don't have the money for it.'

Souki is seeking support for a proposal to raise the general excise tax by 1 percentage point for five years and dropping the personal income tax rate to 8 percent."

• "'It's a collective-bargaining issue, so it's difficult for us to step in,' (Rep. Kyle) Yamashita said. 'Sure, we would all like to be involved in these negotiations, but it is governed by law that we can't. If we step in, we could open ourselves up to lawsuits, and I think that's where the Legislature needs to be careful.'"

• "State Rep. Angus McKelvey, a Democrat serving West Maui residents, said he was reviewing proposals, including one to dedicate $1 of the state's oil tax to restoring instructional days. His proposal would be an alternative to other measures, such as raising the general excise tax."

Tesoro site visit

Representative Kyle Yamashita (left) and Representative Tom Brower went on a ship-to-shore tour of Tesoro's refinery and crude oil receiving facilities on Thursday, December 17th. The tour began with a briefing at the Tesoro Kapolei refinery on renewable energy initiatives and an overview of its maritime operations.

Left to right: Rep. Kyle Yamashita, Rep. Tom Brower, Lyle Wong from the Dept. of Agriculture, Sandra Lee Kunimoto, Chairman of the Board of Agriculture, and Melissa Pavlicek, Hawaii Public Policy Advocates.

The group got an up close and personal view of an oil tanker unloading crude oil at the Tesoro single point mooring (SPM). All crude is received via an offshore terminal located 1.7 miles south of Barber's Point.

Vessels tie up to a specially designed buoy instead of a dock. The tie-up is with a 206-foot-long mooring hawser with a breaking strain of 1,670,632 lbs. The single point mooring buoy is anchored in place with six anchors. Underwater pipes lead from the refinery to the buoy. Floating hoses lead from the buoy to the tankers.

Reps in the News

The NELHA gate has been re-opened, allowing access to the beach at Kohanaiki. Rep. Denny Coffman and Sen. Josh Green held a public meeting on the issue a few weeks ago. Here's a report by Hawaii247.org. Here's the previous story by Hawaii247 on the meeting.

Speaker Calvin Say comments on Enterprise's new venture - purchasing a fleet of hybrid rental cars such as the Honda Civic and Insight, and the Toyota Prius.

Lahaina News writes an editorial thanking Rep. Kyle Yamashita and Sen. Shan Tsutsui for helping to keep the Friday Night Lights on for Maui high school football.

Reps in the News

Rep. Joe Souki sounds the alarm for Maui agriculture and the island's vulnerability to alien species should state inspectors be laid off. Maui news story here.

Rep. Jessica Wooley was interviewed by KHON2 over the weekend on how Windward Oahu is bracing for Felicia. Story by Olena Heu here.

Rep. Marcus Oshiro is featured in a story on prohibiting employers' use of credit history checks for hiring/firing decisions. Hawaii is one of two states to adopt the policy - more states may follow. Story here.

Rep. Kyle Yamashita donated money to help the Maui Interscholastic League so that they can continue playing school football games at night. This allows more of the players' families, friends and supporters to attend the games. Story here.

New Vice Chair of Labor

Speaker Calvin Say yesterday designated Rep. Kyle Yamashita to replace the late Rep. Bob Nakasone as Vice Chair of the House Committee on Labor & Public Employment. As such, his committee assignments change, and Rep. Yamashita will now be a member of the Government Resources and Public Safety bracket. That means he'll now also be sitting on the Committees of Transportation and Public Safety.

Rep. Yamashita will no longer be Vice Chair of the Housing Committee.

Countdown to lift off

Thursday, August 21st, from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 a.m., the State Capitol will be home to some of the biggest players in the Aerospace Industry. They will be here to talk about Hawaii's role in the industry today, and the potential for the future given Hawaii's advantages, challenges and assets.

Here's the news release that went out Friday:

Explore Potential for Hawaii's Aerospace Industry at State Capitol

Honolulu, Hawaii. The Hawaii State Legislature announced today that it will host a day-long event exploring the potential of the Hawaii Aerospace industry for diversifying and fortifying the economy of the state. The event is sponsored by the State Senate and the House of Representatives, in cooperation with the Office of Aerospace Development.

WHEN: Thursday, August 21, 2008
8:30 a.m. (Registration)
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Program)

WHERE: Hawaii State Capitol – Auditorium (Chamber Level)

LIVE BROADCAST: Olelo, Channel 53. Live stream on http://olelo.org/

A stellar lineup of guest speakers will address Hawaii's future in the Aerospace industry including its assets and challenges. Former Governor George R. Ariyoshi will provide introductory remarks. Ariyoshi currently serves as a U.S. Advisor to the Japan-U.S. Science, Technology & Space Applications Program. Much of Hawaii's infrastructure for astronomy and space-related programs were initiated under Governor Ariyoshi's administration.

In 2007, the State Legislature approved Senate Bill 907, which expanded and renamed the Office of Space Industry to the Office of Aerospace Development. It directs the office to identify and promote opportunities to expand and diversify aerospace activities in the state, including space exploration and settlement.

The Legislature wants to position Hawaii to be nationally and globally competitive, and recognized in the field of aerospace development.

"This is an exciting venture for Hawaii, especially for our young people," said Senator Carol Fukunaga, Chair of the Senate Committee on Economic Development & Taxation. "Take our emerging robotics programs. Our children will be able to compete on a global level with the proper tools and skills set. With Hawaii emerging as a regional leader in robotics competition, it's a natural step towards future careers in aerospace industries."

"What young child has not dreamed of space travel?" asked Rep. Kyle Yamashita, Chair of the House Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns. "Hawaii has unique advantages that we should build upon to develop a viable aerospace industry in the state. The industry has a distinguished history here, but new technology makes it possible for Hawaii to play a larger role. The potential is unlimited."

What's Happening Now…
The University of Hawaii is home to over $60 million in annual grants for space-related programs from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The U.S. Military has also made significant investments in Hawaii's aerospace industry, such as the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site (AMOS) which sits atop Haleakala. It supports the largest space surveillance site in the nation.

Local companies such as Oceanit, Novasol, and Trex Hawaii, are developing new products to support aerospace activities such as atmospheric monitoring and weather forecasting, advanced air traffic control, advanced optical communications and electro-optical tracking systems.

National companies such as Boeing, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin are already established in Hawaii.

What's Possible…
Rocketplane Global will discuss Hawaii's potential as a commercial launch site. Hawaii's location near the equator makes our state an ideal sit to support commercial space launch. In fact, Hawaii is the only state in the country from which payloads may be launched into orbit, polar or equatorial, without flying over populated areas.

In the next coming months, NASA will be identifying strategic locations across the U.S. that may be able to simulate extraterrestrial conditions on earth. NASA's goal is to return humans to the Moon by 2020, and to Mars in the following decade. Hawaii's environment, geography, terrain, and technological assets make the state very competitive in this site selection.

Here are program highlights and a list of distinguished speakers:

9:20 a.m. Aerospace Industry in Hawaii: The Big Picture
*Jim Crisafulli – Director, Hawaii Office of Aerospace Development
*The Honorable George R. Ariyoshi – Former Governor; U.S. Advisor, Japan-U.S. Science, Technology & Space Applications Program


9:40 a.m. Enabling the Next Frontier: Our National Vision for Aerospace
*Elliot Pulham - President & Chief Executive Officer - The Space Foundation
*David Kerr - Director of Partnership Management, Joint Planning & Development Office/FAA
*Chris Moore - Program Executive for Technology Exploration Systems Mission Directorate - NASA Headquarters
*Charles Smith - Chief, Space Technology Division - NASA Ames Research Center


10:45 a.m. Building Bridges: Hawaii as a Catalyst for Multinational Partnerships
*Frank Schowengerdt - Director - The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, U.S. Vice Chair - The Japan-U.S Science, Technology & Space Applications Program
*Michael Crosby - Interim Vice Chancellor for Research - University of Hawaii at Hilo
*Jim Grady - Chief Strategy Officer - Alliance for Commercial Enterprises and Education in Space
*John Strom - Program Manager for Aerospace - Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii, Vice President for Business Development - Enterprise Honolulu
*Chris Moore - Program Executive, Exploration Technology Development - NASA Headquarters
*Bill Larson - Chief, Applied Sciences Division - NASA Kennedy Space Center

1:00 p.m. Innovating the Next Frontier: Dual-Use Applications in Aerospace
*Joe Lehman - Director, Government Affairs - Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
*Timothy Dolan - Business Development Executive - Raytheon Honolulu Field Office
*Rick Holasek - President - NovaSol
*Ken Cheung - Science & Technology Manager - OCEANIT
*Daron Nishimoto - R&D Space Superiority Program Manager – Trex Hawaii
*John Benzie - Technical Director - Pacific Missile Range Facility (Kauai)
*Lt. Col. Scott Hunt - Manager, Space Situational Awareness Program – Maui Air Force Research Laboratory
*Keith Knox - Boeing LTS Chief Scientist – Air Force Maui Optical & Supercomputing Site (AMOS)

2:30 p.m. The Heavens in View: Pioneering Astronomy & Planetary Geosciences
*Nick Kaiser - Associate Director for National Telescope Projects - U.H. Institute for Astronomy

*Peter Mouginis-Mark - Director - U.H. Institute for Geophysics & Planetology

*Jeff Taylor - Lunar Scientist - U.H. Institute for Geophysics & Planetology

3:30 p.m. Reaching for the Stars: NextGen Aviation & Commercial Space Launch
*Ramsey Pederson - Manager, Aviation Development - University of Hawaii
*Chuck Lauer - Vice President for Business Development - Rocketplane Global
*Luke Flynn - Director, Hawaii Space Grant Consortium & Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory - University of Hawaii

4:15 p.m. Training the Next Generation: Aerospace Education in Hawaii
*Wayne Shiroma - Co-Director, Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory - University of Hawaii
*Joe Ciotti - Director, Center for Aerospace Education - Windward Community College
*Robert Fox - Chairman, Dept. of Physics & Astronomy - University of Hawaii at Hilo
*Jim Dator - Director, Hawaii Research Center for Future Studies - University of Hawaii at Manoa
*Art Kimura - Director, Future Flight Program - Hawaii Space Grant Consortium, University of Hawaii

5:00 p.m. Special Presentation: In the Shadow of the Moon
Introduced by Nainoa Thompson - President, Polynesian Voyaging Society

Here's the trailer to the film In the Shadow of the Moon from director Ron Howard:

More public beach access discussion?

In an editorial in the Honolulu Advertiser, lawmakers are urged to reconsider a bill next legislative session that addresses public beach access issues, which are on the rise as erosion continues to swallow Hawaii shorelines and threaten property owners and beach-goers alike. Recently, Kahala homeowners have been asked by the state to reduce vegetation that hinders public access.

The bill, HB 1037 HD1 SD1, would have required state agencies to account for sea-level rise and minimize risks from coastal hazards such as erosion, storm inundation, hurricanes and tsunamis. Its intent was to preserves public access and public shoreline access by requiring counties to account for annual erosion rates and extend the public land access to no less than 40 feet from the shoreline.

Bill History: HB1037 was introduced by Rep. Pono Chong, Ken Ito and Kyle Yamashita. It stalled in the Senate in 2007 and in April 2008 was re-referred in the House to the Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs Committee and the Energy & Environmental Protection Committee.

Public access television - should they compete to be our providers?

That's the question before the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs right now. Nanea Kalani at Pacific Business News filed a story in the current print edition that lays out an uncertain future for the four public access television providers that we all know - Olelo on Oahu, Akaku on Maui, Hoike on Kauai, and Na Leo O Hawaii on the Big Island. These four have not been subject to procurement laws in the past, ostensibly because no money is involved in providing the service.

What happened to change that policy? At the start of the session, there were two measures pertaining to the issue. One was Senate Bill 1789 which proposed to exempt permanently the public access providers from procurement. Along with the other providers and many citizens, Kealii Lopez, Exec. Dir. of Olelo, testified that she supported the bill which allowed the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) to select providers in accordance with Chapter 91 administrative rulemaking, and with the advice of the Cable Advisory Committee. The State Procurement office opposed the measure and believes that the DCCA should subject the providers to procurement requirements. For the past 15 years, the contracts have been automatically renewed.

The other was House Concurrent Resolution 358, introduced by Rep. Kyle Yamashita, that requests the DCCA to form a task force to explore alternatives to procurement in relation to the selection of public access providers. While providers did not oppose the resolution in principle, they favored the Senate bill. However, that bill died in House Finance, failing to meet the second decking deadline, leaving HCR 358 as the operative vehicle.

Meanwhile, the current contracts expire on June 30th, and the DCCA is determining whether they will continue the practice of exemption or require the providers to bid for the position. If it's the latter, that may result in major changes to the public access landscape.

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.

Committee must decide between two tech plan bills

Because of the rapid expansion of science and high tech industries in Hawaii, two similar bills have been proposed to establish a task force to develop concrete technology plans that would create a prosperous future for high tech industries as well as the economy.

Most of the testifiers at the Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns hearing this morning for the two bills, HB2931 and HB3360, had mix feelings about the language of both bills.

Here are my notes on the views of the testifiers:

• HB2931 would be a better vehicle for the proposal because the plan would be subject to automatic review and updated every two years.
• The task force should represent private sectors in the high tech and science industries.
• There must be a working relationship between research, government and private sectors for this type of task force to benefit Hawaii.
• An 18-member task force would be too large.
• A member should be appointed or nominated based on their vision of the plan, rather than their position or stature.
• Outside industry professionals who aren't familiar with Hawaii should not be part of the task force.
• HB2931 should be amended to include science in the task force and master plan name because technology and scientific sectors are converging.
• The committee should consider whether it is good policy to exempt the task force in HB3360 from the Sunshine Law.

The Committee on Economic Development & Business Concerns decided to wait until Thursday before making a decision on the future of the bills.

They will probably stick with one bill and address the concerns of the makeup of the task force, said Rep. Kyle T. Yamashita, committee chair.

Rep. Yamashita Surveys Upcountry Flood Damage

Rep. Kyle Yamashita returned to Maui over the weekend to survey the flood damage in his district of Upcountry Maui. Here are photos of a house that had the misfortune to be directly in the path of the flood waters. The house was torn from its concrete foundation and slid about 75 yards.

Here is another angle of the house. While there were no loss of human lives, livestock was lost, and we believe that is a poor cow in the muddy foreground.

World Wide What?

Chances are, 16 years ago, you never even heard of the world wide web. Now it is one of the primary ways we communicate with each other and receive news and information. August 2007 will be the 16th anniversary of the web, and Hawaii has taken its first step toward achieving statewide internet access through the passage of HB310. The bill was introduced by Rep. Kyle Yamashita, chair of the House committee on Economic Development and Business Concerns. This bill establishes the Hawaii Broadband Task Force with an appropriation of $50,000 for fiscal year 2007-2008. Their mandate is to develop a long-term strategy to offer affordable internet access and promote broadband usage statewide. The task force will provide their findings and recommendations to the 2008 and 2009 Legislatures.

Art at the State Capitol - Office of Rep. Kyle Yamashita

"Aizu Dancers" by Kauka de Silva - Ceramic and reed sculpture, 1984

Representative Kyle Yamashita (District 12 - Upcountry Maui) is a big supporter of art education. He is responsible for securing funds for the development of a performing arts and visual learning center at King Kekaulike High School.

The art he selected for his office reflects his appreciation for fine craftsmanship using natural materials, such as this series of ceramic and reed sculptures, each standing 8 to 10 inches tall. De Silva was born and raised in Hawaii but studied art at Waseda University in Tokyo.

Milo Wood Lathe bowl by Robert Yamada 1988

Robert Yamada is a Kauai artist from Kapaa. The lustrous sheen of his milo wood bowl is produced by hand polishing with leaves from the ulu (breadfruit) tree and kukui nut or mineral oil.

"Maui" by Dorothy Saxon Wenger - Oil Painting 1973

Yamashita's district on Maui includes Haleakala, and he was successful in his freshman term in the 2005 and 2006 sessions to acquire funding for the much needed expansion of Haleakala Highway. The painting by Dorothy Saxon Wenger called "Maui" was selected because it seemed to represent the colors of Haleakala - House of the Sun, with its reds and oranges of the volcano, the yellows of the sun, and the greens of Upcountry Maui.

"Red Winged Stiletto" by Garry Greenwood - Leather Sculpture 1984

This unusual leather sculpture never fails to draw attention. Standing only about a foot tall, the piece looks like wood, but is flexible to the touch.