October 25, 2021

Rep. Kapela Joins Lawmakers in Defending Mauna Kea Protectors



Although the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands had planned a sweep of individuals who continue to occupy the area around the Maunakea Access Road, three Hawaii lawmakers have formally asked the department chair to explore possibilities that would permit the protesters to remain on the mountain.

"If they were to do something like this, COVID or not, and even if our hospitals are full and even if we're in the very worst part of the pandemic that we’ve seen so far, people wouldn't hesitate to protect Maunakea. We would just continue to see case numbers skyrocket," Rep. Kapela said. "It's never a good time, but now is absolutely the wrong time."

For more, see: MAUNA KEA.
October 8, 2021

Rep. Kapela joins nationwide protests in support of reproductive rights



Nearly 100 West Hawai'i residents took to the streets on October 2, 2021 to join citizens across the nation rallying in support of abortion rights in Hawai'i and beyond.

"Today we are here to advance reproductive rights across our state and increase access to reproductive care, but also because there is an attack against reproductive rights in our nation right now," said one of the rally’s organizers Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D-South Kona, Ka'u and a portion of North Kona).

For more. click the following link: REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE.
July 21, 2021

Safety Must Be Prioritized As Schools Reopen



The Hawaii Department of Health is currently revising school guidance, but with two weeks until school starts, there’s still a lot of uncertainty. Meanwhile, state lawmakers are lending a helping hand in keeping classrooms safe.

"This past year, the legislature did appropriate money to the Department of Education," said Rep. Jeanne Kapela, (D) Naalehu, Ocean View, Captain Cook, and Kailua-Kona. "I'm hopeful that it's going to be used specifically for HEPA filters or bringing in more air filtration into our classrooms. Especially those that don’t have maybe windows or the possibility to have free flowing air coming into the classroom as easily as others."

For more, visit the following link: SCHOOL SAFETY.
July 6, 2021

Rep. Jeanne Kapela speaks out against Asian American discrimination



Hundreds rallied at the state Capitol and marched through Chinatown on Saturday in a show of unity against targeted attacks on Asian Americans in the U.S., most recently highlighted when a man shot and killed eight people, six of whom were women of Asian descent, at three spas in the Atlanta area earlier this month.

State Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D, Naalehu-Captain Cook-Keauhou) referred to the March 16 shooting in the Atlanta area "as another outbreak of the ongoing epidemic of mass gun violence here in our country, and it was also an act of racial terror against Asians and Asian Americans."

For more, click the following link: STOP ASIAN HATE.
July 1, 2021

Rep. Kapela fights for teacher bonuses, funding for Hawai'i’s education system



A bill that would give $2,200 bonuses to Hawai'i public school teachers is now on Gov. Ige's intent to veto list. The announcement came during the week of Monday, June 21, but one lawmaker believes it could work.

"There is a question about federal money being utilized in this bill and it has actually nothing to do with that $2,200 teacher incentive," said Rep. Jeanne Kapela. "There are whole states that have used money they’ve received through the American Rescue Plan to help give teachers an incentive or to give them a bonus of some sort."

For more, click the following link: TEACHER RETENTION INCENTIVE.
June 24, 2021

Rep. Jeanne Kapela Fights for Teacher Shortage Pay Increases



State Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D, Naalehu-Captain Cook-Keauhou), vice chairwoman of the House Education Committee, noted last week that the Legislature had left "significant holes" in the public schools' budget, including for the differentials. She urged the Board of Education to use some of the federal relief money that is targeted for learning loss to cover them.

"These differentials are critical to maintaining quality educators in my community's schools," Kapela said. "Nothing could be more critical to preventing learning loss than ensuring that our most vulnerable children are taught by highly qualified teachers." For more, click the following link: TEACHER DIFFERENTIALS.
May 14, 2021

Economic Recovery Should Focus On Working Families



Congress provided federal assistance to working families this winter through stimulus payments and tax relief provisions of the American Rescue Plan, such as the newly broadened child tax credit. The support offered by these measures is far short of what is necessary for most island residents to make ends meet, however, leaving local leaders with the duty of uplifting their economic well-being.

To help Hawai'i's workers, elected officials must act to create a living wage of at least $17/hour, pass paid sick and family leave programs, and exempt unemployment insurance payments from the state income tax. For more, visit the following link: WORKING FAMILIES.
April 29, 2021

Rep. Jeanne Kapela Calls for Board of Education to Consider Teachers in Superintendent Search



As Hawai'i's Board of Education prepares to choose a new school superintendent, the State Legislature passed a bill requiring it to prioritize candidates with at least a decade of administrative experience and a "working understanding" of local leadership processes. Rep. Jeanne Kapela expressed concerns about the measure, saying that it could prevent teachers from being considered as viable candidates.

"If we really want to uplift teachers and students, we have to make sure we have a superintendent who has served in a position of teacher," she said. By focusing mainly on departmental administrators like principals and complex area superintendents, "we are only continuing to reproduce the exact same shortcomings with the current administration," she said. For more, click the following link: TEACHERS.
April 28, 2021

Rep. Kapela Comments on Search for Hawaii DOE interim superintendent



The Board of Education has begun its search for an interim superintendent to head the Hawaii Department of Education until it appoints a permanent superintendent.

“I believe that the Board of Education should prioritize candidates from our home state in selecting a new superintendent,” Kapela said. "Ideally, the BOE should choose someone with a proven track record of classroom experience and a commitment to supporting the teachers who are tasked with crafting our keiki’s future." For more, click the following link: SUPERINTENDENT SEARCH.
March 30, 2021

Rep. Jeanne Kapela Supports Closing REITs Tax Loophole



State lawmakers have once again taken a pass at trying to abolish a tax break for real estate investment trusts operating in Hawai'i, but Rep. Jeanne Kapela is committed to continuing to work to close the tax loophole and fight for tax fairness for Hawai'i's people.

"As a strong supporter of taxing REITs, I am committed to doing all I can to move these measures forward during next year’s legislative session," Rep. Kapela said in an email. "Taxing REITs must be part of our strategy for sustaining our state’s fiscal recovery and creating an economy that advances the prosperity of all of Hawaii’s people. As we work to craft an economic recovery that uplifts working families, we need to generate revenue that puts people’s needs before corporate greed."

For more, see: KAPELA SUPPORTS CLOSING REITS LOOPHOLE.
February 22, 2021

It's Time for Hawai'i to Tax the Rich



Budgets are about allocating resources. Ultimately, our state’s fiscal choices - including decisions about raising revenue — reflect our political and socioeconomic priorities. As we craft the islands’ economic recovery, the choice is clear: Will we continue a status quo that damages our most vulnerable residents or will we finally put people before profit?

This year, I introduced an omnibus revenue generation bill to close the state’s $1.4 billion budget shortfall by increasing taxes on the wealthy. HB 3, and its Senate companion SB 56, would generate over $750 million per year to uplift our island home and uplift Hawai'i's most vulnerable residents.

For more, visit the following link: TAX THE RICH.
February 19, 2021

Hawai'i lawmakers push to legalize marijuana for personal use



With the state strapped for cash, some Hawai'i lawmakers are considering legalizing recreational marijuana. Rep. Jeanne Kapela introduced a bill that would allow people to have up to an ounce of cannabis. It would also create a process for cultivators to grow and sell marijuana which would then be taxed by the state, which could generate at least $150 million in revenue at a time when the state is in desperate need of money.

"This bill is a bill that will legalize marijuana and tax it that way we can utilize that revenue for essential services which right now in the middle of this budget shortfall are being cut. We should not be furloughing teachers, we should be generating revenue and utilizing this opportunity to allow people to do something that they've already been doing and making sure we are no longer going to disproportionately harm the working poor or Native Hawaiian," Kapela said.

For more, see the following link: CANNABIS LEGALIZATION.
January 25, 2021

Rep. Jeanne Kapela opposes crippling school budget cuts



A proposal to slice 10% from Hawaii’s public schools budget for the next two years - on top of the 6% cut already imposed this fiscal year — was approved Thursday by the Board of Education.

"As the Education Committee incoming vice chair, I believe it is my responsibility to prevent these draconian cuts from happening," said state Rep. Jeanne Kapela (D, Kailua-Kona to Naalehu). "What's before you today would create educational chaos. … I do promise to be an eager partner with you in resolving the department’s fiscal dilemma."

Link:

For more, click the following link: here.
December 22, 2020

Rep. Jeanne Kapela questions DOE officials about COVID-19 response plan



Jeanne Kapela, representative-elect whose district runs from Na'alehu to Kailua-Kona, asked if the DOE will provide extra personnel to disinfect frequently touched surfaces at schools and personnel to run isolation areas for students experiencing COVID symptoms, or if schools will have to pay for those services out of their own budgets.

"About 93, 94% or our budget is in the hands of schools," Kishimoto replied. "And so, what we are doing is providing guidance around and support around how to think about staffing, training the staff and making sure we hear from them what kind of training employee groups need to do this well. We also highly rely on part-time workers, so it's really been about re-deploying and hiring part-time staff to do different work, these days."

For more, click the following link: DOE COVID-19 RESPONSE PLAN.