Rep. Tsuji aims to promote Agricultural Tourism

Photo: West Hawaii Today
The protea were in bloom when Agriculture Chair Rep. Clift Tsuji and other members of the House toured the Mealani Research Station in Kamuela on the Big Island Wednesday. Here's the West Hawaii Today story and the Hawaii Tribune Herald story.

Look for a number of proposals to support and develop agricultural tourism in the 2008 session. Tsuji commented that tourism would serve as another form of revenue for farmers and would take agriculture to a new level.

Rep. Souki weighs in on Superferry debate

Rep. Joe Souki, Speaker Emeritus and Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, sent his Hawaii Superferry opinion piece to Hawaii daily newspapers yesterday. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin was first to publish it today. While much of the piece focuses on the divisiveness of the issue, there is a section that may be of particular interest to those who followed SB1276 last session. That's the bill that requires an environmental impact statement for state harbor improvements for any vessel carrying passengers and vehicles between islands. Souki says:

"The bill required that a full environmental impact statement was necessary prior to the Superferry's launch. Contrary to what has been reported, the bill that crossed over to the House still required the EIS prior to the ferry's start of operations, and was not a so-called compromise bill. The bill's language was ambiguous, and I received no communication from the Senate to clarify it.
At that time, I chose not to hear the bill in the House. I didn't want to jeopardize the Superferry's ability to start operations this summer by reversing the state's decision at about the same time as the scheduled launch. It would have been a terrible message to send to business. Also, the Superferry had conducted environmental studies outside the formal assessment process. That said, the Supreme Court has ruled that the EA is required, and we must respectfully accept that ruling."

SB1276 is still alive. It has been carried over to the 2008 regular session.

Feral Pig Meeting set for next Saturday, Sept. 15

Feral pigs have been rooting up a storm of concerns in recent years among Manoa, Makiki and Tantalus residents and trail users.

The public is invited to hear about and comment on updates to the Department of Land and Natural Resources' feral pig hunt program on Saturday, Sept. 15. Councilmember Ann Kobayashi, Senator Brian Taniguchi, along with Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell (Manoa) and Rep. Della Au Belatti (Makiki, Tantalus, McCully) and David Smith, Oahu Branch Biologist from DLNR, will also be there.

The meeting will be at Manoa Elementary School cafeteria (3155 Manoa Road) from 10 a.m. to noon.

During DLNR's first pig hunt in 2002, 15 feral pigs were caught. In 2004/2005, 22 pigs were captured. Neighbors had complained about feral pig rooting and the resulting mud run-off and were worried about watershed quality and public safety.

For more info, call Rep. Caldwell's office at 586-8475 or via email: repcaldwell@capitol.hawaii.gov.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.

Ethics Task Force gets some expert insight

Gridlock and confidentiality of complaints were among the issues discussed yesterday by a House task force assigned to evaluate whether or not a permanent ethics committee should be set up in the House of Representatives.

The House Task Force on Standards of Conduct sat down yesterday with Professor Alan Rosenthal of the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers University, and Jack Maskell, Legislative Attorney of the Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress via teleconference.

The ethics committee would tackle complaints issued against members of the House that might not fall under the jurisdiction of the state Ethics Commission. Some of the issues the task force considered yesterday were whether the ethics committee should be equal parts Democrat and Republican and how to avoid potential gridlock in that situation.

The question of confidentiality and who would be allowed to submit complaints were two concerns. Although members of the ethics committee would have to keep complaints confidential, it would be difficult to impose the same rule upon groups or individuals outside the legislature filing complaints.

Maskell and members of the task force also talked about how to handle unfair complaints lodged in the few months before an election.

Rosenthal advised that an ethics committee take a preventive, not policing role. It would be up to the House leadership to make judicious appointments to the committee, he said.

He added that about one third of ethics committees in state legislatures are joint House-Senate committees.

In the past, the House has formed special committees to investigate claims against lawmakers when they come up. House members abide by an internal code of conduct, but a permanent committee on standards of conduct would be a first.

Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell, who is heading up the task force, requested that members begin drafting some wording for the measure before the next meeting on Sept. 19 at 10:00 a.m.

Smart, honest, hard working and relatively young...

Those are some of the criteria former Rep. Brian Schatz used to single out four legislators as most promising in his "Straight Schatz" column in the current Honolulu Weekly. Here are some selected comments by Schatz on each one:

Photo: Karl Rhoads at press conference to announce Kukui Gardens appropriation. Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Rep Karl Rhoads (Democrat - Downtown, Kakaako, Iwilei). "You either choose to be an outcast rebel with no internal traction, or you have to sell your soul to the whims of party leaders. Rep. Rhoads reminds us that not all bargains are necessarily Faustian."

Rep. Lynn Finnegan (Republican - Lower Pearlridge, Aiea). "Despite her talent for articulating the Republican philosophy and her ability to reach across the aisle, the number of her colleagues are dwindling. She's a thoughtful, real conservative, and while I can't think of a major issue on which we agree, she comes by her positions with integrity and clarity."

Sen. Jill Tokuda (Democrat - Kaneohe). "She doesn't gravitate toward the easy issues -- in fact, the thornier it is , the more she puts herself in the middle of the mix. This has earned the respect of her colleagues and will pay off in the long run, even though she's taking some lumps now."

Rep. Ryan Yamane (Democrat - Mililani). "He doesn't get caught up in internal politics, and is in political service, in my estimation, for the same reasons that he is a social worker--he wants to help people. He's smart, but does not have the politician's compulsion to prove he's the smartest guy in the room."

Photo: Ryan Yamane greets Barack Obama

Agree? Disagree?

Man sentenced in Hawaii's first copper theft felony

Breaking news from The Honolulu Advertiser - Judge Steven Alm has sentenced a 45-year-old man to 5 years in prison and $4,500 in restitution for copper theft. This is Hawaii's first case in which copper theft is considered a felony following the passage of HB1246 . The new law makes copper theft a class C felony and requires scrap sellers to disclose where and from whom they obtained the metal.

House committees focus on Big Island farmers and businesses

By Rep. Clift Tsuji

Three House of Representatives committees that make up the economic development bracket will visit Big Island farms and businesses over a three-day period. Starting Wednesday, the Agriculture, Economic Development & Business, and Tourism & Culture committees will meet with Hawaii island communities to talk about issues, problems and concerns, and needed legislation for the next legislative session.

The more information we have about the Big Island, the better we'll be able to introduce meaningful bills that will help our farms and businesses. As chair of the House Agriculture Committee, I'm very proud of our innovative, hard working people, and I want to ensure that the Legislature recognizes their contributions and importance to our state economy. We are scheduled to visit the following locations:

Wednesday – September 5, 2007
Kona Coffee Living History Farm – Captain Cook
Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii – Kailua Kona
Kamuela Vacuum Cooling Plant – Kamuela
UH – College of Tropical Agriculture, Mealani Station – Kamuela

Thursday – September 6, 2007
Waipio Valley
Hawaiian Vanilla Company – Paauilo
Hamakua Springs Country Farms – Pepeekeo
UH – College of Tropical Agriculture, Ag complex - Stainback Highway

Friday – September 7, 2007
Waiakea High School – Robotics Team
Shipman Industrial Park
Puna Geothermal Ventures
Greenpoint Nurseries – Mountain View

Neuroscience Institute of the Pacific to announce Hawaii plans

Photo: Keoni Devereaux, Ph.D, will serve as Chief Administrator

Principals of the newly established Neuroscience Institute of the Pacific will be at the State Capitol on Tuesday to unveil their Hawaii plans to the Legislature. The work of the Institute is to enhance the level of neurology clinical care for patients with multiple sclerosis, dementias, and other neurological conditions, and to provide access to clinical research trials to the people of Hawaii. Dr. James Pierce, M.D., will serve as the Institute's Medical Director and is currently a practicing neurologist at Queens Medical Center. Dr. Daniel Bandari, M.D., also a neurologist, will be the Co-Medical Director.

Where & When: State Capitol, Room 329 - Tuesday, Sept. 4th at 9:30 a.m.

Kukui Connection Hosts Rep. Cindy Evans and Councilmember Nestor Garcia

Rep. Marilyn Lee has lined up two special guests for Sept. on her weekly public affairs program, Kukui Connection. They are Honolulu City Councilmember Nestor Garcia (left) on September 2, 16 and 30, and Rep. Cindy Evans (right), chair of the House Public Safety and Military Affairs Committee, on September 9 and 23. The show airs every Sunday on Olelo, Channel 54 at 4:00 p.m.

Stop Superferry Service to Kauai Until Legal Matters Resolved

That's the main message from Rep. Hermina Morita who sent a letter today to Transportation Director Barry Fukunaga requesting that the state stop all Hawaii Superferry service to Kauai pursuant to last week's Supreme Court decision that an environment assessment is required.

"The use of the State's harbor facilities, including Nawiliwili Harbor, is not appropriate at this time," wrote Morita. "Moreover until all legal matters are resolved or there is further guidance from the Hawaii Supreme Court, the DOT needs to respect the rule of the law."

Morita is critical of the DOT and claims it disregarded the law when it approved the Superferry's operations without requiring an envrionmental review. She highlighted the fact that the environmental review was requested by the Hawaii, Maui and Kauai County Councils, and that the department's avoidance of the process "was done for political expediency not respect for the law and brings us to this juncture."

Morita goes on to state that a full environmental review and full disclosure of the Superferry's operations should have been done at the conception of the business. She emphasized that, "Federal, state and county police or military resources and power should not be used to enforce bad political decisions."

Copies of the letter were sent to Governor Lingle, Mayor Baptiste, the Kauai County Council and the US Coast Guard.

Photo: Kauai protesters greet Hawaii Superferry (AP)

Two Years After Katrina

By Rep. John Mizuno

I recently attended a briefing in New Orleans by Major General Hunt Downer, Asst. Adjutant General, Louisiana National Guard, to review recovery efforts in schools and communities two years after Hurricane Katrina.

Photo: South Carolina Rep. Robert Williams and I with kids from the Dr. Martin Luther King Charter School.

On August 24th, I visited the Dr. Martin Luther King Charter School for Science and Technology, located in the Ninth Ward. This community was totally covered by flood water, and it is difficult to imagine that they could have ever recovered. I was amazed that the students I met seemed so happy and filled with energy. Principal Doris Roche-Hicks explained that "We lost over 30 students and adults to Hurricane Katrina, but we never fail to remind our kids what they have."

The school was not originally a charter school, but after the hurricane, Principal Roche-Hicks realized that "charter" status was her only hope for a fast and efficient resurrection of the school. In 2006, King's charter was one of the first charters approved, and she scrambled to secure insurance, arrange transportation, and register students. Today, the school is running full staff, with 95% of her staff from pre-Katrina days. The most amazing fact to me is that all of her staff commutes from outside the district because none of them have been able to move back to their damaged homes.

Federal, state and local funding is bottle necked. The simple fact remains, two years after Katrina, funding appropriations are not getting to those in need. For example:

Congress set aside $16.7 billion for Community Development Block Grants. As of March 2007, only $1 billion has been spent, mostly in Mississippi. Following news reports of this holdup, HUD spent $3.8 billion on the program, but this still leaves 70% of the funds unused. Meanwhile 30,000 families remain scattered across the country in FEMA trailers.

FEMA earmarked $8.2 billion for public assistance, but only $3.4 billion is to be used for non-emergency projects like repairing schools and hospitals.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers received $8.4 billion to restore storm defenses (i.e. the collapsed levees which were the cause of the flooding of New Orleans.) To date, only 20% of the funds have been used, and the Corps indicates that the levees may not be completely repaired until 2011.

Photo: This is a house checked by National Guard post-Katrina. The "1/8" left of the square identifies the unit which checked the house. The "0" above the square means no rescues were made. The "9/13" right of the square is the date the house was inspected in 2005. Note that there is no number below the square - that would have meant the number of bodies found. Some houses had numbers.

Rosenthal and Maskell will speak at next Standards of Conduct meeting

Professor Alan Rosenthal of the Eagleton Institute, Rutgers University, and Jack Maskell, Legislative Attorney of the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, will speak by teleconference at the next Standards of Conduct task force meeting. The meeting will be held at the State Capitol, Room 329, at 9:00 a.m.

Alan Rosenthal is Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at Rutgers. He is a nationally recognized expert and published author on the subject of legislative ethics. Currently, he is working with the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Center on Congress at Indiana University, and the Center for Civic Education on the development and communication throughout the states of a new public perspective on representative democracy. His most recent published work is entitled, "Heavy Lifting: The Job of the American Legislature" published by CQ Press in 2004.

Jack Maskell has worked with Congress on issues about ethics, censure, and the recent ethics bill which was sent to President Bush.

For further information, call 586-8475 - the office of Rep. Kirk Caldwell, Majority Leader, who chairs the task force.

Rep. Marilyn Lee Elected to National Board

State Representative Marilyn Lee (D-District 38) has been elected to the Executive Board of the Women's Legislative Network of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

The Women's Legislative Network of NCSL includes all women state legislators by virtue of their election to office. There are currently 1,733 women serving in state legislatures across the country. The Network's mission is to promote the participation, empowerment, and leadership of women legislators through:

· Sponsoring forums and workshops on topics of interest to women legislators,
· Hosting events for women legislators at NCSL meetings, and
· Partnering with other organizations to provide resources and services.

"It is a real privilege for me to serve on the board of the Women's Legislative Network," said Lee. "I look forward to working with women legislative leaders throughout the country and the world as together we face the challenges of an ever-changing global economy and society."

The Executive Board of the Women's Legislative Network is made up of a president, president-elect, vice-president, past president, eight regional members and two at-large members.

Lawmakers in the Military

The September online issue of State Legislatures highlights the work of Hawaii Rep. K. Mark Takai who recently conducted a survey of state lawmakers serving in the military. Here are the results:

There are 68 legislators who serve in the military. Out of that number, 23 have been deployed while serving in their respective legislatures, or are currently deployed.

Fifteen legislators served on extended activation, which is a period of more than 139 days.

Thirty-four legislatures have at least one member serving in the military. South Carolina leads with 6, Iowa has 5, and Massachusetts and Texas both have 4.

The Army has 44 legislators, the Air Force and Marine Corps both have 8, and the Navy has 7.

Rep. Takai is the Commander of the Medical Company for the Hawaii Army National Guard and is the chairman of the National Network of Legislators in the Military.

More on shield law...

Question was asked yesterday on why the distinction between journalists, former journalists, and bloggers. Here's an explanation from Rep. Blake Oshiro, vice chair of Judiciary and House majority floor leader, who has authored draft legislation:

"The distinction was based on laws from a majority of other states. The issue is about providing additional 1st amendment protections for freedom of press. Thus, there must be some measure of "press." Bloggers, without any prior journalism or media experience, still enjoy first amendment free speech rights, just not the same legal protections as a "journalist." Also, there are established standards for journalism ethics, but to my knowledge, none exist for blogging, so those conducting themselves within those ethical standards, should enjoy their full freedom of press rights."

Big Island political blogs gain recognition

Congratulations to Hunter Bishop who publishes HunterBishop.com, and Aaron Stene who writes The Kona Blog for being named "Best of Hawaii Island" in the website/blog category, voted on by readers of the Hawaii Island Journal. Bishop is a former journalist for the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, while Stene is a private citizen whose profile reads, "I'm just a longtime kama'aina who is very concerned about the direction of this island." As such, Bishop would be covered under the proposed shield law legislation, and Stene would not. See Advertiser story here.

Interested in being a UH Regent?

What was once a plum gubernatorial appointment does seem to be a much more open process now that a new law requires the regents to be selected from candidates put forth by a statewide advisory committee. According to the SB article this morning, some of the criteria seem a bit subjective, such as, "objective decision making" and "openness to a diversity of views". However, according to chair Roy Takeyama, the committee will be advertising for candidates, so those who believe they can contribute to making our University of Hawaii a better institution should consider applying. Call 692-1218 or visit www.hawaii.edu.rcac.

What Synergy!

Just as the House Finance Committee ends its tour of the Big Island, getting some favorable press coverage along the way, the Governor has chosen this time to release $1.3 million for the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii and $79,000 for the installation of a septic tank in Kona.

Finance Committee Honors Mo'okini Heiau

Photos submitted by Joel Kennedy

Former House Communications Director, Joel Kennedy, who now resides in North Kohala, caught up with the House Finance Committee on their visit to the Mo'okini Heiau.



Above, Momi Lum briefs the committee outside the entrance to the heiau.

Inside the heiau, the group practices the ritual of ho'okupu or gift offering.

20 states passed copper theft laws this year

Copper theft has become so rampant across the nation that 20 states, including Hawaii, passed new copper theft legislation in 2007. You know it's serious when copper thieves cause the Friday Night Lights to go dark, as reported in The Advertiser's front page story on the cancellation of the Campbell vs. Roosevelt high school football game.

Hawaii's law, HB1246 , makes copper theft a class C felony and requires scrap sellers to disclose where and from whom they obtained the metal. Alabama bans the sale of scrap copper over $100, while Washington makes it a misdemeanor for any scrap dealer to do business with those who have been convicted of theft or illegal drug usage. The 20 states are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington and Virginia. The problem of copper cable theft is so serious in Las Vegas that telecom carrier Embarq Corp, a spin-off of Sprint Nextel, is offering $5000 for information leading to the arrest of anyone trying to steal their copper cables. So far this year, the company has spent $400,000 in Las Vegas repairing severed cable lines.

Mollway sees need for House Ethics Committee

Dan Mollway, Executive Director of the Hawaii State Ethics Commission, today shared thoughts with the task force charged with determining whether the House should establish a Standards of Conduct committee and the scope of its duties. The Advertiser has a story here, and Ian Lind covers it on his blog here. Given that there is no other outside tribunal that can address the conflicts of the House, and seeing the importance of restoring and maintaining public confidence, Mollway said that such a committee is a good idea and that one is needed. The committee will meet next on September 4th at 9:00 a.m. and is scheduled to engage Alan Rosenthal, one of the country's foremost experts in legislative ethics, in a conference call. Rosenthal is a professor of public policy and political science at Rutgers.

From Sugar Mill to Energy Plant

House Finance members continue their Big Island visit on Wednesday, including a stop at Hamakua Energy Partners, a 63-megawatt combined cycle plant consisting of two General Electric combustion gas turbines and a steam turbine. It is one of the few U.S. plants burning naphtha, a light petroleum product, as its primary fuel. The plant was built on the former site of the Hamakua Sugar Mill in Haina. It sells power to the Hawaii Electric Light Co., with the capacity to meet the energy needs of almost one-third of the Big Island. In April 2007, Hamakua Energy Partners was cited by the U.S. EPA for possible violation of permit requirements under the Clean Air Act. The company has pledged to work with the EPA to resolve any issues.

Finance Committee Tours Big Island

The House Finance Committee will conduct a site visit on the Big Island, August 21-24, 2007, to tour various locations that have received state funding or may require funding for the future. Committee members will also discuss issues pertinent to Big Island residents with county and community leaders. Site visit highlights include:

Tuesday, August 21st
Kona International Airport to receive Department of Transportation updates
Mookini Heiau to tour heiau and discuss earthquake damage
Kona Community Hospital to tour facility and discuss health-related issues

Wednesday, August 22nd
Natural Energy Lab of Hawaii to discuss on-going operations and future expansion with NELHA tenants and management
Kamuela Vacuum Cooling Plant to meet with area farmers
North Hawaii Education Center to meet with educators and farmers
Hamakua Energy Partners to tour energy facility
Hamakua Springs County Farm to tour farm and discuss sustainability, ag tourism and alternative energy

Thursday, August 23rd
Rainbow Falls Connection Kitchen to tour kitchen and meet with Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council
UH Hilo to tour campus and discuss programs
Hawaii Community College and Manono Campus, Hilo
Hilo Courthouse to view status of construction
Pacific Aquaculture Resource Center to tour facility and discuss aquaculture industry

Friday, August 24th
Keaau Middle School to discuss school renovations, discuss Big Island specific education needs including infrastructure and programs
Meeting with Mayor Kim

Finding Best Qualified University Regents

Pacific Business News reports that the special Advisory Council formed to select qualified University of Hawaii Board of Regents candidates will start public meetings this week and may be ready to take applications by late September. This is of special interest at the State Capitol given the contentious path of the bill, SB14, which establishes the council. The bill was vetoed by Governor Lingle, overridden by the Legislature, and became law as Act 56.

Members of the council include Neil Bellinger (appointed by Speaker Calvin Say), Karl Fujii (appointed by UH alumni association), James Koshiba (appointed by Senate President Colleen Hanabusa), Thomas Ramsey (appointed by UH All Campus Council of Faculty Senate Chairs), Ginger Takeshita (appointed by the UH Student Caucus), and Roy Takeyama (appointed by the UH Association of Emeritus Regents). Takeyama serves as chair, Fujii as vice-chair. Governor Lingle's nominee, Chatt Wright, resigned from the committee citing scheduling conflicts.

Legislature supports Akaka Bill

The Hawaii Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will hold a hearing today at the State Capitol Auditorium starting at 1 p.m. Here is testimony scheduled to be provided from State Rep. Marcus Oshiro:

Aloha,

My name is Marcus Oshiro. I am a Japanese-American citizen, sansei, and my ancestors came from Okinawa, Japan. I am also a member of the Hawaii State Legislature, a body of 76 individuals elected by the people of the state of Hawaii. I am writing to express my support for S. 310/H.R. 505, The Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act of 2007, introduced by the Members of the Hawai’i Congressional Delegation, and to ask that you support passage of S. 310/H.R. 505.

The Hawaii State Legislature has passed resolutions supporting Native Hawaiians and their right to form a representative government every year for the past several years. Passage of these resolutions was unanimous in the State House of the Representatives.

Our support has crossed party lines and is widespread among our constituencies. Every credible public opinion poll since 2003 has consistently shown an overwhelming majority of residents in Hawaii support federal recognition for Native Hawaiians as a process of reconciliation.

It is also the right thing to do.

S. 310/H.R. 505 or the “Akaka Bill” provides that process, and the Hawaii State Legislature remains committed to support the efforts of Native Hawaiians to achieve self-determination. More than 560 American Indian and Alaska Native groups are recognized, and the Native Hawaiian Government Reorganization Act extends the special legal and political relationship to Native Hawaiians. This legislation is consistent with the U.S. Constitution, more than 150 Federal measures enacted since 1910, and the Hawai‘i State Constitution.

For these reasons, I ask that you honor the wishes of the people of Hawaii, as expressed through their elected representatives, by supporting the Akaka Bill and the efforts of Native Hawaiians to seek federal recognition and protect the culture and resources that are critical to all of our social, economic, cultural, and spiritual well-being.

Thank you for the opportunity to share these comments.

Nifty to be Fifty

Photo: Hawaii delegate John A. Burns, who was later elected Governor, prepares to slice the statehood cake on Capitol Hill.

Today is Statehood Day, formerly Admissions Day, annually celebrated on the third Friday of August. On March 18, 1959, President Eisenhower signed the Admission Act, dissolving the Territory of Hawaii and establishing the State of Hawaii as the fiftieth state of the union.

Did you know that the Admission Act is also considered the first civil rights legislation enacted by Congress after World War II? That's because the Act extended all American citizen's rights to a territory with a non-white majority. In a couple of years, Hawaii will also celebrate its 50th anniversary of statehood. This year, the legislature passed HB1352, establishing a commission to plan for the historic event.

Photo: Honolulu Star Bulletin, August 19, 2006

Statehood is not without controversy. It was one year ago today that a conflict occured on the grounds of Iolani Palace when a statehood celebration was interrupted by native Hawaiian groups protesting the inappropriateness of recognizing statehood at the "scene of a crime". They referred to the stealing of the Hawaiian government in 1893 when Hawaii was annexed to the United States and the emprisonment of Queen Liliuokalani in her own room at the palace.

Hawaii songwriter Harry Owens even wrote a statehood song:

Hawaii is the fiftieth star in the U.S.A.

Aloha means how joyful we are

For at last we are brothers today

We know that you’ll be happy

When Hawaii falls in line

We sing a song of gladness as we

Join the forty-nine.

Peace Day News - Contest Deadline Extended

We have a new logo for Hawaii's first Peace Day celebration, designed by Miles Hakoda.

The deadline for the "Expressions of Peace" art and literary contest has been extended to midnight on Friday, September 7th. See previous posts for contest instructions.

Peace Day is working on a website which will be accessible soon.

Hawaii will be the first state in the country to celebrate its own Peace Day on September 21, 2007, in conjunction with the United Nations' International Day of Peace.

GMO Taro Debate Continues

There are 5 House committees on the island of Kauai today and tomorrow. As soon as the Economic Development/Tourism and Culture/Agriculture committees landed, they were greeted at the Kauai County building by protesters sending a message aimed at Agriculture Chair, Rep. Clift Tsuji. Reminiscent of the demonstration (captured on YouTube) launched in April, they want Chair Tsuji and other House leaders to support the passage of a 10-year moratorium of genetically modified crops in Hawaii, including all varieties of taro. The group will tour taro farms tomorrow to learn more about the GMO issue and talk directly with working farmers. In the case of taro, there is also a cultural perspective to consider--taro is not only the state plant but of historic and cultural significance to native Hawaiians.

In addition to taro farms, the joint committees will visit the closed set of "Tropic Thunder" to discuss film industry tax credits, coqui frog infestation at Lawai, Hawaiian Mahogany biomass project, and Kilohana Plantation Railway as an example of agritourism.

The Health/Human Services and Housing committees are on Kauai to visit Wilcox Hospital and the Kauai County Housing Agency today, and Mahelona Hospital on Thursday as Mahelona celebrates its 90th Anniversary of service to the people of Kauai.

$1.6 Billion!

That's how much the Hawaii Employees' Retirement System gained over the past year, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the only publication yesterday to draw attention to the record performance. See story here. This amounts to a whopping 17.3% annual gain, which comes after a switch to new portfolio advisers, Pension Consulting Alliance of Portland, Oregon.

Policy makers and political observers will be sure to make a note of it for next session. The ERS fund has been eyed as a source for venture capital. SB1365 encourages the ERS board to invest in Hawaii venture capital and to report to the legislature on an amount that might be prudent to invest without jeopardizing retirement funds.

On a broader level, what impact does this have, if any, on the state's ability to comply with GASB reporting of unfunded health and retirement fund liability? It's a complex issue, and we'll be using the blog to try to demystify this and other legislative issues going forward.

Emergency Pet Shelters

In several news reports on preparing for the potential impact of Hurricane Flossie (surely they can come up with more ominous names), residents are warned that pets are not allowed at emergency shelters. This should not be so. After seeing the effect of Katrina on pets and their owners, the legislature passed a law in 2006, HB3121, introduced by Rep. Ryan Yamane. Effective upon approval in May 2006, the law requires the Director of Civil Defense to identify public shelters suitable for sheltering pet animals. Private shelters may also be identified for the same purpose. The law directs the governor to establish criteria, requirements, conditions and limitations for providing shelter for pets during emergencies such as hurricanes.

Honoring Staff Sgt. Robert T. Kuroda

Photo: Aboard the Robert T. Kuroda at Pearl Harbor approaching Diamond Head. The Honolulu Advertiser

The Kuroda is officially in action. The logistics support vessel, LSV-7, was christened four years ago and named after World War II veteran, Staff Sgt. Robert T. Kuroda. Kuroda is the brother of former state senator Joe Kuroda and the uncle of Kevin Kuroda, the House Sergeant-at-Arms.

The ship was under construction in Mississippi when it was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. After re-construction it arrived safely in the islands last year, and is now officially in the Army's service at Pearl Harbor.

Photo: The 2003 launch of the Kuroda in Mississippi. Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Ironically, Kuroda was denied a job at Pearl Harbor because of his Japanese ancestry, so he decided to enlist in the Army. Robert Kuroda was a member of the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team and Medal of Honor recipient. He died in Bruyeres, France while leading his combat team in battle.

Photo: Staff Sgt. Robert T. Kuroda, Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Finance Chair reports from NCSL

HPR's Wayne Yoshioka tracked down Rep. Marcus Oshiro at NCSL for a radio interview on the focus for the future. Despite a weakening economy, lawmakers across the country were urged to prioritize their sights on higher education. Oshiro wants to focus on education, energy and health initiatives next session with Hawaii's projected limited general funds.

Kauai case to be featured on "Dateline NBC"

Photo: Henry Calucag on "America's Most Wanted"

The Kauai Garden Island published a story today announcing that the case of murder and identity theft victim John Elwin will be featured on Dateline NBC this coming Monday night. The story received national attention last fall on America's Most Wanted. Henry Calucag, aka Hank Jacinto, was found guilty of fraud, forgery and identity theft in June '07 and is now behind bars awaiting sentencing on August 29. He and John Elwin took a trip to the Philippines in 2006, where Calucag stole property from Elwin valued at over $245,000. Elwin was later found shot to death.

The case was close to home for Kauai Rep. James Kunane Tokioka. His resolution, HR198 , was inspired by the Elwin case and requests the Attorney General and the Identity Theft Task Force to look into ways to improve the process of notarizing documents in order to reduce ID theft cases.

Since Calucag was convicted, Honolulu police have re-opened two other unresolved, separate cases where he is suspected of stealing property from two men, Arthur Young and Douglas Ho, who later disappeared.

Clinton vs. Romney?

Today is the last day of the National Conference of State Legislatures conference in Boston, and participants voted in a straw poll for president. Here are the results:

Democrats
30.92 Hillary Clinton
25.72 John Edwards
20.23 Barack Obama
10.40 Bill Richardson
6.65 Joe Biden
2.60 Chris Dodd
2.02 Dennis Kucinich
1.17 Al Gore (write-in)


Republicans
35.85 Mitt Romney
22.63 Fred Thompson
15.62 Rudy Giuliani
8.18 Mike Huckabee
8.18 John McCain
3.14 Ron Paul
2.52 Sam Brownback
1.26 Tommy Thompson
1.26 Newt Gingrich (write-in)
.63 Duncan Hunter
.63 Tom Tancredo

Hawaii Dead Last in Technology Exports

That's what Bill Spencer, Hawaii Venture Capital Association, claims in a scathing letter to the editor in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Spencer accuses Economic Development Director Ted Liu of painting a rosy picture of Hawaii's economy tied to what he calls "status quo" industries such as tourism and construction, and blasts the Governor's "lack of commitment" in developing an innovation economy. (In all fairness, it seemed that the administration went into a full court press on innovation during most of the session - hardly what you would call lack of commitment.) Spencer makes an interesting point, though, on Hawaii's ranking compared to other states. Can we really be dead last, behind Puerto Rico (gasp!) in technology exports?

Not to worry. According to House sources, Hawaii ranks #1 in citizen longevity, lowest depression level (tied with New Jersey), access to healthcare, and most disciplined flossers. When the question was asked how one would go about measuring dental floss discipline, another source answered...

...by oral exams.

LWV wants to cut LG Aiona out of PSA's

Daryl Huff at KITV filed a story yesterday that the League of Women Voters is calling for L.G. Duke Aiona to step down from his spokesman role in public service announcements. Rep. Marcus Oshiro, who introduced the law prohibiting candidates from appearing in psa's while they are running for office wrote about the issue here and in letters to the editor in June. The loophole is that the candidate doesn't have to stop the appearances until he/she files to run. Even though he is raising funds and has announced his candidacy, it is not likely that the LG will file until 2010 allowing him 3 more years to promote his image to the voting public using taxpayer dollars. The LWV believes he is violating the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. Should the legislature amend the law?

"25 Online Ideas Worth Stealing"

State Legislatures, the publication of the National Conference of State Legislatures, published a list of 25 internet-based ideas "worth stealing" from state legislatures across the country. It's a nod in acknowledging that legislative websites have "informed citizens, brought them closer to their government, provided new services, and made legislative processes more accessible and transparent." We couldn't agree more. Hawaii is listed as Idea #2 for allowing committee testimony by email and the assistance provided by the Public Access Room.

Comments welcomed on whether Hawaii should, as we say, cock-a-roach any of these ideas to make the legislative process more user-friendly. If you'd like the web address for any of these programs, let us know.

#1 from Minnesota. Property Tax and You. Webpage devoted to property tax, asking citizens to share their property tax stories and offer ideas for solutions.

#2 from Hawaii. Testimony by Email.

#3 from Arizona. Request to Speak in Committee. Citizens wishing to testify on a bill can sign up in advance online.

#4 from Nevada. Online Opinion Poll.

#5 from Utah. Blogging. This is the famed Senate Site from the Utah Senate Majority. (And very helpful to Hawaii when we started our own blog.)

#6 from Kentucky. Email Your Legislator. What's different is that a link is provided for a general "in-box" where messages are sorted and directed to the right legislator, and a link sending messages to "all" legislators.

#7 from Arizona, Search Those Archives, searchable video archives of floor actions and committee hearings; and from Utah, Hear the Debates, searchable audio clips for the same.

#8 from Vermont and Texas. Roll Call Votes. Vermont allows search of roll call votes by member name or by bill number. Texas provides roll call votes by various methods, such as bill number, date, bill text.

#9 from Nebraska. "I'm new here" guide. Informational guide to the legislature and process.

#10 from Florida. Online sunshine for kids.

#11 from West Virginia. Up to the minute RSS feeds. News releases, meeting schedules, tracking action on bills, etc.

#12 from Washington. Spanish language version. Did you know Spanish is the second most common language in Washington state? Not everything is available in Spanish, but there is a Spanish version of the homepage and television coverage of political debates.

#13 from Michigan. Load it on your PDA. Session schedules, calendar, committee bill records, and committee meetings in a small-screen viewing format.

#14 from Illinois and South Dakota. Personalized bill tracking. "My legislation" feature allows customized bill tracking.

#15 from Texas. Current amendment. Web page automatically updates as legislative activity occurs on the House floor, including a scanned image of the amendment or current bill being considered.

#16 from Virginia. Live help hotline. Clicking on the "Live help" button begins an internet chat session with a staff member who can respond to questions.

#17 from Wisconsin. Who represents me? Enter street address or use interactive district maps to figure out the names of your legislators.

#18 from North Carolina. Privacy policy.

#19 from Louisiana. Virtual Tour.

#20 from Missouri. Podcasts.

#21 from Pennsylvania. Legislation Archives. Dates back to the 1969-70 session.

#22 from South Carolina. Quick Search. Legislation, budget, Constitution, House and Senate Journals, bill summaries, all searchable from the home page.

#23 from California. Accessibility. Website compliance with the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

#24 from Idaho. Budget Process demystified, including fiscal facts and budget analyses.

#25 from New Jersey. Site Map and Easy Navigation. It's a loaded site, but navigation features make it user-friendly.

New Electronic Surveillance Law

Not much in the local newspapers on this, but President Bush signed a new expanded wiretapping law Sunday that would seem to have implications for many Hawaii residents who make international telephone calls or send international emails. Read the NYT story. The new law allows the National Security Agency to listen to Americans calling overseas, without a warrant. The White House spokesman said that the intent is not to focus on Americans, but to give the government greater "flexibility in focusing on foreign suspects overseas." In a nutshell, the new law provides a legal framework for the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on foreign communications, placing the surveillance outside the jurisdiction of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.

When the topic exploded in 2006 as a privacy issue, telecommunications companies balked at cooperating with the federal government, and Hawaiian Telcom indicated that they had not been contacted by the NSA to participate in the program. Now, it appears that the companies can be ordered to cooperate by the attorney general or the director of national intelligence (although it also appears likely that this section of the law will be challenged in court.)

The Hawaii legislature passed SB965 in 2006 to update the state's electronic surveillance law, and several resolutions were introduced (but went nowhere) calling for an investigation into warrantless wiretapping. Hawaii has a large population with family and business contacts overseas. They should be made more aware of this new law.

Who is Faye Hanohano?

Photo: Rep. Faye Hanohano. Credit: Hunter Bishop

Rep. Marilyn Lee ended her series on freshmen representatives with an interview with Big Island Rep. Faye Pua Hanohano. Rep. Hanohano has a hard act to follow. She won the district formally led by Rep. Helene Hale who stepped down at age 88 after serving in county and state politics for 52 years, and who was the only member of African-American descent in the state legislature. Faye Hanohano has her own unique qualifications.

She is the only member of the state legislature whose first language is Hawaiian. She was raised in a Hawaiian family that stayed very close to the native culture. She raises her own dry land taro, makes her own poi, and is bothered by the watery consistency of poi that is sold commercially. In fact, she may even introduce legislation that would address poi consistency.

She was the first female correctional officer at the Kulani correctional facility in East Hawaii. She had planned to become a police officer, but she got the job at Kulani and ended up serving there for 25 years.

She believes her community is open to the idea of expanding geothermal operations by the Puna Geothermal Venture, located on the East Rift Zone of the Kilauea Volcano. Currently, Puna Geothermal provides 30% of the electrical demand on the Big Island.

Rep. Hanohano is also concerned about the amount of depleted uranium left by military operations, particularly Pohakuloa on the Big Island. Even though this is not in her district, she will be looking to address this issue next session.

Other critical issues for District 4 (Puna, Pahoa, Hawaiian Acres, Kalapana) include road access (only one way in and one way out), and the need for a dialysis center in the area as many of the residents in the district are diabetic.

The show will re-air on Sunday, August 19, 4:00 p.m., channel 54.

The Taddster at Reno-Tahoe

Photo: Rep. Scott Nishimoto, Tadd Fujikawa and Rep. Glenn Wakai. Both reps report a golf handicap of 28

Tadd Fujikawa made his professional debut at the Reno-Tahoe Open on Thursday. While this is being posted, Tadd appears to be struggling to make the cut. However, he has lots of fans in Hawaii cheering him on who will be proud of his performance, no matter the score. This session, Rep. Glenn Wakai, who represents the district where Tadd lives and goes to Moanalua High School, sponsored a floor presentation to honor the young golfer.

Lucky Dog

Photo: Representatives Sharon Har, Faye Hanohano and Jon Riki Karamatsu with Beth and Duane "Dog" Chapman

What got the most public and media attention at the 2007 legislative session? Affordable housing? Healthcare? Quite possibly, it was the looming extradition of Dog the Bounty Hunter to face criminal charges in Mexico. Duane Dog Chapman, who films his successful TV series in Hawaii, has been in the news recently, not only to promote a new book, but because it appears the Mexican government is about the dismiss his case. Star-Bulletin story. Advertiser story.

Could it be (wink!) because the House Committee on International Relations heard House Concurrent Resolution 50 requesting the president of Mexico and the second district court of Guadalajara to drop the charges? While the resolution did not make it out of the Judiciary committee, the House did honor Dog and his team on the House floor with a Certificate of Appreciation, HR284, commending Duane and Beth Chapman for their contributions to Hawaii.

Photo: Rep. Maile Shimabukuro with Duane "Dog" Chapman

Peacekeepers sent to Darfur

The United Nations Security Council yesterday approved a 26,000 member force made up of mostly African peacekeeper soldiers from the western region of Sudan. Their mission is to end four years of rape and slaughter in Darfur; it is estimated that 200,000 people have died, and 2.5 million have been uprooted and are refugees. The peacekeepers are expected to be in Darfur by year's end, and when fully deployed, it will be the largest peacekeeping operation in the world. Today, Denmark, France and Indonesia signed on to contribute to the effort.

What has Hawaii done to help? There were several measures introduced in 2007 to recognize the extreme atrocities being done to human life in Darfur. HB34, introduced by Rep. Roy Takumi, was the measure that passed into law. It prohibits the Employees' Retirement System from acquiring any securities of companies that have active business operations with Sudan. HR22, introduced by Rep. Rida Cabanilla, makes recommendations to the UN Security Council and others on the conflict.

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.

Next on Kukui Connection - Sundays at 4 p.m.

Rep. Marilyn Lee continues her interviews with freshmen legislators on her cable television show, Kukui Connection. In August, her guest will be Rep. Faye Pua Hanohano, the representative from the Big Island, District 4 - Puna, Pahoa, Hawaiian Acres, Kalapana. That show airs on the first and third Sundays, August 5th and 19th, 4:00 p.m. Channel 54.

Give Peace a Chance

By Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu - Vice Speaker

On September 21, 2007, Hawaii will become the first state in the country to annually celebrate its own Peace Day. In honor of that day, which is celebrated throughout the world as the United Nations International Day of Peace, people of all ages from around the state are invited to submit an artistic expression of what "peace" means to them. The art work will be displayed at the State Capitol and award winners will be announced at a special ceremony.

I introduced the Peace Day bill on behalf of youth members of the Hawaii Buddhist Association. I was impressed that these young people cared enough about peace in the world to stick with it through the legislative process. We all need to start thinking more about how we, as individuals, can create peace. They say that life imitates art, and if that's the case, let's begin with our personal expressions of peace through art.

Here's how to submit expressions of peace:

Format: For this first year, art work format will be limited to 2-dimensional art such as paintings, drawing, prints or posters; and literary submissions 500 words or less, such as stories, essays and poetry.

Eligibility: Everyone! People of all ages are encouraged to participate.

Deadline: September 1, 2007

Information required: Please include your name, age, mailing address and telephone number. If desired, you may also include a brief bio and explanation of the piece submitted.

Mail to: Dr. Jeannie Lum, Matsunaga Institute for Peace, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Saunders Hall #723, 2424 Maile Way, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822.

Or drop off in person to: Office of Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu, State Capitol, Room 427.

Art at the State Capitol - Korean War Memorial

On July 27, 1953, the Korean War Armistice was signed at Panmunjom. On July 27th, 1995, President Bill Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-sam together dedicated the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. So, today, we highlight the Korean War Memorial which is located on the west end of the State Capitol grounds along Richards Street. It is combined with the state's Vietnam War Memorial.


The two memorials are made of polished black granite arranged in a serpentine wall, about 6 ft. high and nearly 100 ft. long. The wall contains individual squares on which are engraved the names of veterans who died during each war. The names are listed chronologically by year.

The memorials are graced by two poems:


Korea:
Long ago, far off,

We fell in fields of honor.

Remember us now.


Vietnam:
Grieve not for lost youth.
Graved in memory and stone
we dwell in your dreams.

Smart Growth

Chair of the Smart Growth Interim Task Force, Rep. Sharon Har, put together an impressive discussion group last week, including the 4 county planning directors - Kathy Sokugawa representing Henry Eng from Honolulu, Ian Costa from Kauai, Jeff Hunt from Maui and Chris Yuen from the Big Island. The goal of the task force is to develop legislation that supports smart growth principles, such as improve land use, create more open space, compact urban areas, develop more affordable housing, and decrease infrastructure cost.



Rep. Joe Bertram is not on the task force, but participated in the meeting. His viewpoint in support of the Wailea 670 project, also known as Honua'ula appeared in the Maui News on 7/22. The project has come under attack from groups such as Maui Tomorrow and Save Makena. Maui has the highest median price for a single family home of any county in the state. He warns that while many people oppose development, they may not be aware of the consequences. Bertram writes, "Stopping development actually pushes home prices even higher and widens the gap between haves and have-nots. Instead of simply opposing development, it would be more constructive to ask ourselves: 'What kind of development does Maui need?'"

Center for Public Integrity Ranks Hawaii Legislature #2 and Grade A

The interim task force on HR176, to establish a standards of conduct committee, is underway. The bi-partisan task force includes Kirk Caldwell, Majority Leader, as chair, and members Lynn Finnegan, Jon Riki Karamatsu, Michael Magaoay, Barbara Marumoto, Colleen Meyer, Blake Oshiro, and Kymberly Pine. The group has met twice and will reconvene on August 21st. At the August meeting, the task force is scheduled to meet with Dan Mollway, executive director of the State Ethics Commission and Dean Avi Soifer of the UH Law School.

Rep. Blake Oshiro provided the task force with informational material, including the results of a survey on public disclosure by The Center for Public Integrity, Investigative Journalism in the Public Interest. Conducted in 1999, and updated in April 2006, the 43-question survey was designed to determine whether legislators stand to gain personally from actions taken in office. Hawaii ranked as the 2nd best legislature with a grade of "A". The state of Washington ranked #1.

In the Governors Disclosure rankings, released on July 19th, Hawaii also ranked #2 behind Washington. However, Washington was the only state to receive an "A", and Hawaii received a "B".

Finance Committee heads to Maui

Every year, the House Finance Committee travels to all the major islands of the state to see first-hand the projects that they have funded, and to become as educated and informed as possible of the state's financial needs. The committee will be on Maui today through Friday, including an all day visit to the island of Kahoolawe on Friday. They plan to go to schools (Pomaikai Elementary, Old Maui High School, Maui Community College), Maui Memorial Hospital, get an update on the Hawaii Superferry, tour the Maui Research and Technology Center, and visit the Kaheawa Wind Farm.

Is the state ready for a fireworks ban? While at the wind farm, they will take a special trip to see the nearby Olowalu brush fire damage, requested by Rep. Angus McKelvey (District 10 - Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kapalua, Maalaea, Kihei.) The brush fires on Maui, many of which were set off by fireworks, have claimed hundreds of acres of property, including one home that was burned to the ground. Fighting the fires has been a drain on county resources. Rep. McKelvey plans to introduce legislation for 2008 proposing a ban on fireworks, determined by each county.

Photo: Brush fire on Maui between Olowalu and Maalaea.

Using Highway Fund for Pedestrian Safety is not a Raid

Finance Chair Marcus Oshiro defends the legislature's position to use the highway fund rather than the general fund for improvements to crosswalks in this morning's Advertiser. Read entire piece here. His main points are:

1)Federal dollar match is only in jeopardy if the fund is depleted. The law requires that the fund maintain a 35% cushion (about $60 million), and the projection for the end of FY2007 is that the fund will have a balance of $90 million.

2)This is not a "raid". There is a clear nexus between the highway fund and road safety. In fact, there is an entire program within DOT called "Highway Safety" whose sole purpose is to provide a safe, efficient and accessible highway system.

3)If our state highways are in bad shape, it is due to inefficient management and not a lack of funding. The Reason Foundation, an independent think tank, released a report that said in 2005, Hawaii ranked 5th in the highest amount spent to build and maintain each mile of highway. Sadly, we ranked 5th lowest for highway safety.

4)State economy is slowing. It will be difficult to find $3 million in the general fund for pedestrian safety. Let's use the highway fund for this purpose and save more money in the general fund for other needs.

Contradictions from the Lingle administration

"We want to reassure the public that there will be no budget shortfall, and public services will not be cut or delayed, as has been claimed." Robert Piper, Deputy director, Budget & Finance on 7/20 Kauai Garden Island and 7/22 Honolulu Advertiser.

"The state Department of Budget and Finance told the Department of Education that it would not release $110 million out of $235 million appropriated by lawmakers from the general fund in the past two legislative sessions. The restrictions could delay construction work for at least eight months in about 55 of 96 public schools that are first in line for repairs." Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/22.

"They ignore the fact that with the state collecting $150 million more in revenues in fiscal 2007 than 2006, there is ample money to keep state services at the same level, if not increase them." Ted Liu, DBEDT Director, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/22.

"On July 1, 2007, departments will receive their respective budget allocations for the first quarter only. Full-year allocations are targeted to be available by September 15, 2007....Please be alerted that budget restrictions may be imposed in September should the current revenue condition continue." Governor Linda Lingle, Exec. Memorandum No. 07-01, 6/27.

Utah Senate Visits China

When the Hawaii House Majority was contemplating the idea of starting a blog, we looked to what other state legislatures were doing, and one of the best sites we found was the Senate Site, a blog by the Utah Senate Majority. They were very helpful in answering our questions and sharing from their experiences as a popular political blog in Utah. Recently, the Utah Senate went to China, and they've posted some great photos and stories about their trip. It's a reminder that Hawaii, with our large Asian population, is not the only state reaching out to Asia. Aloha to our Utah readers.

Art at the State Capitol - Message in a mural

This interactive mural is located on the ewa or west side of the chamber level at the State Capitol. I have walked past this mural a hundred times, always drawn to its vibrant color and strong design, but never knew its story until today.

The mural was created by a group of young artists at a downtown poetry slam. The event was organized by Progress Hawaii which, according to the information card, engages young citizens in the political process through creative, dynamic and sometimes unusual means. Progress Hawaii registered the young voters and educated them about legislation that affects their lives. The mural is an expression of their concerns and their pledge to participate in Hawaii's political process. The interactive mural was coordinated by Hawaii artist Solomon Enos. There is no date on the card, and the websites listed are no longer active. Is Progress Hawaii still around? Getting more young people engaged and politically active is an important cause.

Georgette Deemer - House communications director

Using cane haul roads to alleviate highway closures

On Wednesday night, the H-1 near the airport viaduct was closed for over 6 hours, from 7:45 p.m. to 2:10 a.m., due to a one-car crash. In the future, highway closure time could be shortened, and the impact to motorists alleviated, due to HB1608, signed into law as Act 141, introduced by freshman Rep. Angus McKelvey. McKelvey's District 10 on Maui includes Lahaina, Kaanapali, Kapalua and Kihei, and is an area where there is one way in and one way out. A traffic emergency and road closure puts this district in jeopardy.

The bill gives authority to the Governor, the state Director of Transportation, the 4 county Mayors and the county Directors of Transportation, to designate an area as a "traffic emergency zone". This is defined as an area that is accessible by only one state highway, and the public health and safety would be endangered by the closure of the highway due to a traffic accident, natural disaster, or other emergency. The bill allows the state or county to designate the old cane haul roads as a temporary state highway and indemnifies the owner of the cane haul road from liability. The cane haul roads were once an important transportation system for Hawaii at a time when our state's economy was driven by agriculture. They now have the potential to be an important part of the state's emergency traffic plan.

One small step for....Hawaii aerospace industry

Tomorrow marks the 38th anniversary of the first humans to land on the moon through the Apollo 11 mission. On July 16, 1969, Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins launched into orbit on the Columbia. Four days later, on July 20th, Armstrong and Aldrin separated on the lunar module Eagle for the moon landing while Collins continued to orbit on the Columbia command module.

This year, the legislature appropriated $500,000 towards the support of an aerospace industry in Hawaii. SB907 renames the Office of Space Industry in the Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism, as the Office of Aerospace Development, with the goal of positioning Hawaii to be nationally and globally competitive. The appropriation allows the department to establish and operate the Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems or PISCES, in order to support space exploration and settlement.

Rep Brower wants to find and return your money

KITV reporter Mahealani Richardson's mom received a letter from Rep. Tom Brower notifying Mrs. Richardson that she had $120 of unclaimed money. That led to a news story on KITV last night on Rep. Brower's efforts to find money or property owed to taxpayers and make sure they get it back. Some amounts are as high as $21,000. Money found may be from an old tax return or a state deposit that was never returned.

Photo: Tom tells a Honolulu woman that she is owed $17,000 from the unclaimed property program.

The "Unclaimed Property Project" uses data from the state's unclaimed property program.

Here's some information on how to check to see if you are owed money:

Go to http://www.repbrower.org/ and click on the Unclaimed Property link.

Enter your name to fill out an on-line claim form. If you see that money is owed to you, contact the Unclaimed Property Program in one of the following ways:

• Call 586-1589 on Oahu, 974-4000 on Hawaii, 274-3141 on Kauai, or 984-2400 on Maui.
• Email your inquiry to unclaimedproperty@hawaii.gov.
• Visit or write to #1 Capitol District Building, 250 S. Hotel Street, Room 304, Honolulu, HI 96813.

All claims must be verified by and collected through the Department of Budget and Finance.

If you need help, or if you want to let him know how your claim went, email Rep. Tom Brower at repbrower@capitol.hawai.gov or call him at 398-5653.

Volunteers pitch in at Kalihi Valley public housing

In their own version of "Extreme Makeover" volunteers celebrated the 29th anniversary of the Institute for Human Services by cleaning and restoring dilapidated structures at Kalihi Valley public housing. The housing project has over 40 units that are unoccupied because they are in need of repair before they are considered livable.

Rep. John Mizuno presented a certificate to IHS, Oahu's largest 24-hour emergency walk-in shelter for men, women, and families. At the end of the day, tenants were able to move into their new home.

Root Cause of Crime in Hawaii

Photo: Judge Steven Alm, Judge James Gray and Eric Sterling

Are our current policies and prevention efforts on drug trafficking, drug abuse and prohibition working? The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Tommy Waters, will hold an informational briefing on the root cause of crime in Hawaii. ACLU Hawaii, Community Alliance on Prisons, and the Drug Policy forum of Hawaii are co-hosts.

When: Tuesday, July 17th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Where: State Capitol, Room 325

Speakers:

Judge Steven Alm - 1st Circuit Judge, Honolulu. Judge Alm is the chair of the Intermediate Sanctions Policy Council and Founder of H.O.P.E.

Judge James P. Gray - California Superior Court Judge. Judge Gray is the author of "Why our drug laws have failed and what we can do about it".

Eric E. Sterling - President, Criminal Justice Policy Foundation. Mr. Sterling is the liaison to the American Bar Association's Committee on Substance Abuse.

Did you know? Hawaii's incarceration rates are on the rise. We export more than half of our prisoners to private U.S. prisons. Hawaii's female prison population is at almost 2X the national average. Hawaii is the largest customer of Corrections Corporation of America at $50 million a year.

LG is a candidate for Gov and should stop appearances in PSA's

By Rep. Marcus Oshiro - Chair of Finance Committee

Public Service Announcement or Campaigning?

Back in June, Lieutenant Governor Duke Aiona announced his intention to run for Governor in 2008 and has since held a number of fundraisers statewide. At the same time, he is the principal spokesperson in a series of tax payer funded “Start Living Healthy” commercials, aka public service announcements, which are receiving a great amount of print and air time on broadcast and cable. The state should enlist great role models such as Tadd Fujikawa, Colt Brennan or Clarissa Moore to promote healthy living, for the Lieutenant Governor is campaigning and should step down from this role.

One of the first bills to pass the Legislature this session was HB389, which Governor Lingle signed into law as Act 54 on May 1st. The law now states that candidates for public office are prohibited from appearing in public service announcements from the time they file their nomination papers until the time they are no longer a candidate. Certainly, the L.G. would not like to contradict his previous press release of February 1, 2006 wherein he believed it would “not be appropriate” to appear in any public service announcement since he was running for office. Again, he may not be in violation, technically, but as a former judge and as someone who aspires to be Governor, I'm sure he would want to be sensitive to the spirit of the law and not stoop to a technical loop hole. While the L.G. has not filed papers, he is obviously and visibly in campaign mode. I would like to remind all potential candidates of this new addition to campaign law."

National Taxpayers Union Praises House Bill 122

The Advertiser reported today that the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) has praised Hawaii lawmakers for passing a new law promoting accountable government. House Bill 122, introduced by Finance Chair, Rep. Marcus Oshiro, requires the state to create a searchable web page that discloses all entities and organizations that receive more than $25,000 in state funds. The bill became law without the Governor's signature. Link to story here.

The requirement is modeled after federal legislation, co-sponsored by Senators Tom Coburn and Barack Obama, which instructs the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to provide online information on federal grants and contract disbursements. Hawaii became the 5th state last week to open up state accounting records, joining Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Texas. The NTU had one recommendation for change. Given that the federal legislation dollar level is $25,000, they suggested that Hawaii may want to consider lowering the threshold next year.