Legislative Committees to Receive Updates on Issues Related to DHHL and OHA
Legislative Committees to Receive Updates on Issues Related to DHHL and OHA
Honolulu- The Senate Committee on Hawaiian Affairs and the House Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources, and Hawaii Affairs will be conducting a series of informational briefings to receive updates on several emergent issues being addressed by the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA).
The briefings will be held on Thursday, November 21, 2013, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the State Capitol conference room 329.
During the briefing the committees and departments will discuss:
Beginning at 9:30 a.m.: The Audit of the DHHL Homestead Services Division, the outcome of the DHHL Roundtable Discussions that occurred at the Hawaii State Capitol and the 12th Annual Native Hawaiian Convention in August and September 2013, completion of the Nelson v. HHC settlement payments, vacant DHHL properties, and other community concerns.
1:30 p.m.: The process and plan of execution for the 2014 primary election of candidates for Trustee of OHA.
Directly followed by: Corrective and/or other actions taken or planned in response to the audit conducted by the Office of the State Auditor (Report no. 13-07 of September, 2013) on the management and condition of OHA.
"One of the goals of these briefings is to try and come up with ways for DHHL and OHA to achieve greater financial self-sufficiency and to maximize their resources, similar to the Kamehameha Schools Bishop Estate trust," said Senate Hawaiian Affairs Chair Maile Shimabukuro.
"From these hearings, we hope to have thoughtful discussion on issues and concerns that have been raised, and to identify the best solutions to better serve the Hawaiian people and our communities," added Representative Faye Hanohano, Chair of the House Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources, and Hawaiian Affairs.
Other relevant issues will also be discussed.
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Bills signed into law: SB68 (Act 280) and SB1265 (Act 286)
On June 24, 2013, the Governor listed nine measures that were under consideration for vetoes. Among those listed were SB 68 and SB 1265, two bills introduced by Senator Maile Shimabukuro. However, the July 9 veto deadline passed, and those bills became law without the Governor's signature as Act 280 and Act 286.
Senate Committee for Tourism/Hawaiian Affairs Split
(AP/Honolulu Star-Advertiser) - The Hawaii State Senate is splitting its committee on tourism and Hawaiian affairs into separate committees for each subject.
Senate President Donna Mercado Kim said in a statement today that the new assignments will give lawmakers better flexibility to focus on the subject areas.
The Tourism Committee will be led by Sen. Gilbert Kalehe, while Sen. Maile Shimabukuro will head the Hawaiian Affairs Committee.
Senate Majority Leader Brickwood Galuteria had been chairman of the combined committee. He says he'll be more effective as a majority leader with his understanding as a committee chairman.
The Senate also announced smaller changes to its commerce and water committees, with Sen. Brian Taniguchi to serve as vice-chairman of the commerce committee and Galuteria to be vice-chairman of the water committee.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Hawaii Women Lawyers' Annual Awards Ceremony on April 5, 2013
On April 5, 2013, Senator Maile Shimabukuro was honored by the Hawaii Women Lawyers (HWL) as the 2012 Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year. The following is an excerpt from the HWL event program:
"HWL recognizes Senator Maile Shimabukuro as the 2012 Women Lawyer of the Year for her introduction and passage of significant legislation which will assist victims of childhood sexual abuse. In 2012, Senator Shimabukuro introduced legislation which would extend the statute of limitations for civil actions brought by persons subjected to sexual offenses as a minor against the person who committed the act. Signed by Governor Abercrombie on April 24, 2012, the act now gives some measure of hope and remedy for individuals who were victimized and traumatized by abuse in their formative years...and have been forced to bear this burden far into adulthood. It increases the time limit to bring these civil lawsuits going forward to 8 years from when the victim turns 18, or 3 years from when the victim realizes his/her injury is due to sexual offense. It also created a civil window for victims of child sex abuse until April 2014 to file a lawsuit without regard to the statute of limitations.
"The passage of the act received national attention, including mention in an editorial in the New York Times, which stated that, Governor Cuomo's "strong leadership will be needed if New York is to match Hawaii's accomplishment any time soon." "
Maile with family and friends. Front row, L-R: James Nakano, Maile holding her son Keani, Shayne Sakoda holding his son Tyce and daughter Jaedyn; 2nd row, L-R: Jennifer Waihe‘e-Polk, Mihoko Nakano, Nalani Fujimori Kaina, Kurt, Kekai Sakoda, Brittany Hamilton, Chris Sakoda, Dawn. 3rd row, L-R: Kristine Yoo, Mark Forman, James Kaina, Jay Waihe‘e-Polk
Hawaii Women Lawyers President Nalani Fujimori Kaina, Maile, and Adriana Ramelli, Executive Director of the Sex Abuse Treatment Center
Senator Governor Neil Abercrombie congratulated Maile (Photo courtesy: Gov. Neil Abercrombie)
WAI‘ANAE HIGH SCHOOL'S SEARIDER PRODUCTIONS DIGITAL MEDIA PROGRAM HONORED BY LEGISLATURE
The Apple Distinguished Program designation is reserved for programs that are recognized centers of educational excellence and leadership. The selection of Waianae High School's Searider Productions Digital program highlights its successes in enhancing and extending teaching and learning with thoughtful, innovative implementations of technology.
Speech delivered by Senator Shimabukuro on 4/2/13:
Aloha and good morning!
Today I am honored to recognize Wai‘anae High School's Searider Productions' Digital Program, which recently received Apple's Distinguished Program Award.
The Apple Distinguished Program designation is reserved for programs that are recognized centers of educational excellence and leadership. The selection of Searider Productions' Digital program highlights its successes in enhancing and extending teaching and learning with thoughtful, innovative implementations of technology.
Through the implementation of Apple technology, students have been provided with innovative and highly interactive learning opportunities that focus on mastering contemporary digital media and computer technologies.
Searider Digital students are able to explore areas such as video production, internet journalism & social media, graphic arts & design, 2D & 3D computer modeling, and interactive media creation & design.
A key organizing principle is the integration of real-world work assignments into the learning experience and formal curriculum. Students have had the opportunity to work on projects for private, public and non-profit organizations.
Students have also entered various digital media contests and have been recognized nationally and locally for their work.
Although the Searider Productions program is constantly growing and incorporating new and innovative approaches to stay current, it always remains true to its original roots and its ultimate goal of preparing students for success in school, work and life. Through the implementation of innovative Apple technologies, students are able to showcase their digital media skills and are better prepared for higher education, employment and entrepreneurship in digital media-related industries.
I'd like to introduce the individuals representing the Searider Digital Program today, both on the floor and in the gallery. Please stand and be recognized when I announce your name, and I ask the audience to please hold their applause until the end of their introductions:
Michael O'Connor - Lead Instructor
Searider Digital student Jacoby Cid
Searider Digital student Schae-Leigh Nii
And, in the gallery:
26 STUDENTS FROM SEARIDER DIGITAL CLASSES
Searider Digital Teachers - Na‘a Makekau & Curtis Furumoto
Apple Representatives - Nani Daniels and Pete Vraspir
Searider Productions Executive Director - Candy Suiso
Wai‘anae High principal - Nelson Shigeta
Academy Vice Principal - Kevin Matsuba
Academy counselor - Shane Nakamura
Leeward District CAS - Ann Mahi
I ask my colleagues in the Hawaii State Senate and the audience to join me in applauding the teachers and students of the Waianae High School Searider Productions Digital program for their achievement in being designated as an Apple Distinguished Program.
U.S Navy Recognized for its Hawaiian Cultural Stewardship and Renewable Energy Initiatives
My Speech Honoring the Navy:
Aloha and good morning!
Today I am honored to recognize the United States Navy for their achievements in promoting environmental and Hawaiian cultural stewardship in the State of Hawai‘i, and leading the way to energy security through a number of renewable energy initiatives.
The Navy is thankful for the cultural sharing opportunities available by gratefully accepting invitations to and attending the Merrie Monarch Festival in Hilo virtually every year since 1964. They also host Makahiki events at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam which the Navy has co-sponsored with the O‘ahu Council of Hawaiian Civic Clubs for the past ten years.
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam partnered with City, State, Local Legislators, Army Corps of Engineers, Private Businesses and Community Based Organizations to mitigate flooding in Nanakuli and Kapolei, and to reduce dust and prevent fires in the area of Lualualei.
They continue their partnership with Ka‘ala Farm, Nanakuli High School, and Kamehameha Schools in clearing brush from Ni‘oi‘ula Heiau. They have rendered it visible and accessible, and allowed for the education and cultural awareness of the many students whose kupuna have lived there for generations.
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam partners with the community, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, Hawaii Air National Guard, military and Department of Defense families in the annual National Public Lands Day event. The group maintains the Halealoha Haleamau Burial Platform and removes invasive Pickleweed, and outplants native Hawaiian plant species at Ahua Reef.
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam also partnered with various groups to beautify many areas surrounding Navy property, including the Pearl Harbor Bike Path, Nimitz and White Plains Beaches in Kalaeloa, and Pouhala Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary.
Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam further promotes environmental stewardship by utilizing photovoltaic arrays to lower energy costs in support of U.S. Navy and Department of Defense initiatives, and operating a fuel oil reclamation facility to reduce disposal costs and dependence on foreign oil. They were recently recognized as best in the Navy for energy and water efficiency.
The Kauai Pacific Missile Range Facility (or PMRF), and its partnership with Ke Kula Ni‘ihau O Kekaha sustains the educational display of habitat types that existed on the Mana Plain prior to western contact. The partnership also supports educational programs that include remotely piloted water craft and model rockets developed by Kaua‘i students.
PMRF has managed light sources to reduce potential for harm to the Newell's Shearwater and Hawaiian Petrel, both listed by the Endangered Species Act. They have combined wildlife protection and energy savings by replacing light fixtures that reduce both energy consumption and harmful distraction to birds. PMRF continues its partnership with numerous agencies and volunteers to enhance the survival of Laysan Albatross populations located at the facility.
The essence of "Aloha Spirit" is epitomized by the selfless efforts and leadership of our honored guests here with us today. On a personal note, I was raised in large part by my step-grandfather, Fred Calkins. Both he and his son, Fred Jr., served in the Navy for many years. So I am especially greatful for this opportunity to give much deserved recognition to the excellent community service provided by our Navy.
Will the special guests please stand when I announce your name to be recognized, and I ask the audience to please hold their applause until the end of all the introductions:
1) Rear Admiral Frank Ponds, Commander, Navy Region Hawaii
2) Captain Jeff James, Commander, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam
3) Captain Nicholas Mongillo, Commanding Officer, Pacific Missile Range Facility
4) Master-at-Arms Chief James Wooten, Joint Base Volunteer Coordinator
5) Victor Flint, Joint Base Community Plans and Liaison Officer
6) Patricia Coleman, Environmental Outreach Coordinator
7) Cory Campora, Natural Resource Specialist
8) Jeff Pantaleo, Cultural Resource Specialist
I ask my colleagues in the Hawaii State Senate and the audience to join me in applauding our Navy's representatives for their dedication to preserving and protecting the environment and culture of Hawaii.
And now I yield the floor to the Chair of the Senate Public Safety, Intergovernmental and Military Affairs Committee, Sen. Will Espero.
A new blog has been published (sb2588act68.wordpress.com) dedicated to news surrounding SB2588/Act 68, which I authored in 2012, which extends the statute of limitations for filing civil lawsuits for child sex abuse cases.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Senate Spotlight Featuring Senator Maile Shimabukuro
Monday, March 4, 2013
Article: Repeal drug mandatory minimums
Maile introduced SB 68 Relating to Sentencing:
Allows judges discretion in setting incarceration terms when sentencing drug offenders in certain class B and class C felony cases to make the length of the sentence proportionate to the offense and related conduct. Excludes certain offenses.
Repeal drug mandatory minimums (Originally published on StarAdvertiser.com, February 18, 2013)
Hawaii is one of the nation's safest states from violent crime but prison walls have been spilling over to Arizona because of another policy: mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses. A federal sentencing commission determined two years ago that such sentencing rules are "excessively severe" and studies in Hawaii agree. Putting offenders behind bars for a requisite period in drug cases is harsh, futile and expensive, and state legislators should put the mandate aside.
Congress approved mandatory minimum sentences as part of the "war on drugs" in the 1970s. Hawaii passed its mandatory minimum for drug offenders in 1986 and so did most other states. By the 1990s, then-U.S. Chief Justice William Rehnquist acknowledged that those measures were "perhaps a good example of the law of unintended consequences."
Mandatory minimum sentencing laws eliminate judicial discretion, testified Kat Brady of the Community Alliance on Prisons at the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee, which voted to advance the bill last week. "These laws are problematic because they tie the courts' hands and mandate longer prison sentences, regardless of whether the court believes the punishment is appropriate, based on the circumstances and facts of the case."
In Hawaii, drug offenders convicted of possessing a certain amount of drugs, a Class B felony, are sentenced to the minimum prison term of five years for possessing a certain amount of "dangerous" drugs, while distributing it to a minor is a Class A, which would automatically end with 10 years imprisonment.
But is that offense such a danger to society? Actually, in a 2006 case study in Hawaii, 97.6 percent of the drug offenses were not violent or personal crimes. The average drug offender spends an average of 39 months in prison, costing taxpayers an average of $85,000 per drug offender, according to a 2009 study by Thomas E. Lengyel of the American Human Association in Denver and University of Hawaii-Hilo sociology associate professor Marilyn Brown.
Lengyel and Brown figure that the net cost to the state for the 197 drug offenders' total prison terms upon their release in 2006 had come to $15.6 million. "The cost of incarcerating drug offenders greatly exceeds the corresponding social benefit," they concluded.
Many states now recognize that an expenditure is better focused on substance abuse programs than on lengthy imprisonment. The National Council of Sate Legislatures has concluded that sentences should reflect "the harm caused, the effects on the victim and the community and the rehabilitative needs of the offender." Mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses don't do that and should be eliminated, in favor of judicial discretion and refining justice
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Ka Pa‘alana Visits Capitol
On February 12, 2013, children and parents from Ka Pa‘alana traveling preschool visited the Capitol.
For more information about the preschool, click here.
Friday, February 8, 2013
K-9 Kokua Dog Rescue Adovcates Visit Maile on Humane Lobby Day
K-9 Kokua dog rescue advocates from the Wai‘anae Coast visited Maile on 2/8/13, "Humane Lobby Day." The advocates are supporting various animal cruelty and puppy mill bills, such as SBs 7, 8, 9, and 414. For more information, visit:
http://www.k9kokua.org/.
Front Row: Catherine Lathrop, Kale Lyman, Sen. Shimabukuro. Back Row: Jae Bonarek and Adam Moran.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
KHON2: West-side Asks for Hearing on Rock Crushing and Landfill Expansion
"We would like to formally request a public hearing, to have it in the affected area," Shimabukuro said. "Obviously if you're going to be crushing big rocks it's going to be noisy, there's going to be dust flying in the air. What are the hours that they're going to be crushing these rocks? Are there any kind of environmental risks to this?" -KHON2
Waste Management of Hawaii, the city's landfill contractor, has applied for a health permit to operate what's described as crushing and screening plants, and more.
"They don't even have a permit now, so it's surprising that they're asking for an additional permit to do this rock crushing," said. Sen. Maile Shimabukuro, who represents the area.
A ruling by the Hawaii Supreme Court allowed the landfill to stay open past a previously set closure date of July 31, 2012, but kicked the matter back to the state Land Use Commission, which punted to the Honolulu Planning Commission. The matter has not been on any recent meeting agendas, paused now in city planning's lap with city petitions for more time and more footprint. Now the request to the state Health Department adds a new layer.
"We would like to formally request a public hearing, to have it in the affected area," Shimabukuro said. "Obviously if you're going to be crushing big rocks it's going to be noisy, there's going to be dust flying in the air. What are the hours that they're going to be crushing these rocks? Are there any kind of environmental risks to this?"
Where the Caldwell administration will stand on the petitions before Planning, and on landfill futures in general, will be part of a landfill related meeting next week. On Feb. 14, a spokesperson says the mayor will meet with the heads of Environmental Services and the Refuse Division, and the city's attorney.
Those with a stake in landfill outcomes say they hope a different tact is taken from past administrations' approach to where to put the island's trash. Past mayors have done rank-by-panel projects on where to put a replacement landfill, and the last round put sites islandwide on the list including some windward.
A spokesperson for Mayor Caldwell said the mayor's approach does include steps to reduce the need for a landfill. H-Power's recent waste-to-energy expansion also moves in that direction.
"I just really hope that the city can fulfill its promise to close Waimanalo Gulch landfill," Shimabukuro said. "This is something that the city has been saying for decades."
Shimabukuro has introduced bills that would put a moratorium on municipal landfills on the leeward coast. The measures have not yet had a hearing.
She also introduced bills to tag on fees every time landfills get a health, safety or pollution violation, with the $250-per-incident surcharge made payable to nearby high schools. A House committee heard but deferred that bill.
Click here for the video and full report on the KHON2 site. Thursday, January 10, 2010
'Legislators on the Move' Video: Rep. Maile Shimabukuro Surfing
Maile's first exposure to surfing was through her father, Professor James Shimabukuro, who was an avid Waikiki surfer. Later, in high school, Maile tandem surfed with legendary watermen Melvin Pu‘u and Brian Keaulana. Then, while studying at UH law school from 1997-2000, Maile joined the surf club, where classmates Paul Kawai, Gordon Yang, Blake McElheny, Mark Tarone, Jason "Chen" Zhao, and others taught her how to surf.
Surfing gives Maile the perfect outlet to relieve stress and connect with nature. Maile's advice is: "You should find something you love to do, and never give it up, no matter how busy you get."
In a video from HMSA's Legislators on the Move competition, Rep. Maile Shimabukuro, Rep. Cynthia Thielen, and Sen. Clayton Hee are featured. Video clips of Rep. Marcus Oshiro, Sen. Roz Baker, Rep. Lynn Finnegan, Sen. Gordon Trimble, Sen. David Ige, Rep. Blake Oshiro, and others are also included.
Maile's segment is devoted to her surfing and the presentation of an HMSA check to Makaha Elementary School. Mahalo nui loa to Trippy Dods, Kim Click, and the rest of the HMSA gang for doing an excellent job putting this video together.
Additional photos of Maile surfing at Makaha and Kaiko‘o:
Maile surfing at Makaha on her Surflight funboard. Photo by Danny Kim. Click the photo to zoom in.
Maile surfing at Kaiko‘o. Photo by "T" Le. Click the photo to zoom in.
On April 5, 2013, Senator Maile Shimabukuro was honored by the Hawaii Women Lawyers (HWL) as the 2012 Outstanding Woman Lawyer of the Year. The following is an excerpt from the HWL event program:
